Rock Your World
by Sandoz
Summary: In an alternate universe Lance Alvers is recruited as an XMan at the end of The XImpulse, a change that could bring triumph or disaster to the XMen. And what of his romance with Kitty Pryde?
1. A Different Turn of Events

Rock Your World

**An X-Men Evolution Fanfic By Sandoz**

**Disclaimer:** X-Men Evolution belongs to the good people at Marvel and Kid's WB. I'm just borrowing it.

**Summary:** In an alternate universe, Lance is recruited as an X-Man at the end of "The X-Impulse." But how will that change events as we know them? And what of his romance with Kitty Pryde? (AU L/K)

Chapter 1: A Different Turn of Events 

_"You feel sick inside every time you think about it, don't you? You want it to go away, but it won't. You're afraid of what might happen. Your parents are clueless…probably ashamed. And being alone don't help."_

_"What, are you, like, reading my mind too?!"_

_"No way! It's just that I've been going through it myself. You know, trying to figure it out. But I've learned how to control it. Meet me outside the office in an hour. I'll show _you_ how."_

*** * * **__

Staring at the clock high above the teacher's head, Lance Alvers leaned back in his chair and thought about the matter of Kitty Pryde.

He had been ruminating on those few minutes for the last two hours, recalling his casual redecoration of the school hallway and how he was knocked to the ground by a small, fearful girl. Stuffed in a locker by two of the class bitches, she freed herself by passing through the door as skillfully and silently as a ghost. She was most definitely flesh and blood, however.

Kitty Pryde—that was her name, right? Anyway, she was pretty cute, if said so himself. Nice figure, wide blue eyes, the picture of innocence wrapped in a pink sweater. Her looks weren't the cause of his attraction, however, though his two buddies Pete and Griff might not have believed him. She tried to deny it, but she was no ordinary girl. 

His eyes had not deceived him. Kitty had phased through that door as certainly as he could move the earth. He knew he had found someone like him, after all this time. And again, while Pete and Griff might have their doubts he wasn't bullshitting her when he reached out to her. The girl had the same look her in her eyes he did when he was young and confused, unsure of who or what he was. And so he had marked her as one of his own.

Of course, it just so happened her powers would be very useful in solving a problem that had recently come up. He would help her and she would help him. For some reason though, he felt a pang of guilt picturing those eyes of hers and knowing he was luring her under something of a false pretense. But once they got together they could really be something.

What could possibly go wrong?

* * *

Kitty Pryde's world was falling apart.

She never wanted to be different. In all her life she never wanted more than to fit in and be accepted by her peers. She wanted to be normal. But the previous night she had done something both amazing and terrible, and now things were spinning out of control.

_//Meet me outside the office in an hour. I'll show_ you _how.//_

Lance's words had been running through her mind all day. Class passed by in a fog as she gazed out the window and thought about the young man. When she first met Lance, she was terrified of him. After all, he was a boy who could create _earthquakes!_ He was a…a…

_A freak, _the young mutant thought sadly as she stared down at her hands. _Like me._

But when she last saw him, she glimpsed a new side of Lance Alvers. He had reached out to her, tried to help her, and she had seen understanding in his eyes. It was almost as if she had some sort of kinship with him. She was wary of accepting his offer, but whom else could she turn to? Not her parents; they were as frightened as she was, and were denying there was anything wrong with their little girl. Kitty had no friends or teachers she could count on at school. Lance was all she had; he was someone like her, who could do things normal people could not. He shared her curse.

When the bell signaled the end of the school day, she made her decision. 

_Okay, Kitty, it's no big deal. You're just, like, gonna talk to the guy and see what he has to say. _She took a deep breath and flipped her backpack over her shoulder. _No biggie._

By the time the dejected young girl exited the school most of Northbrook High's students were already long gone. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't hear the footsteps following her. Kitty had just turned around a corner when a pair of hands violently shoved her against the wall. 

She let out a bitten-off cry as pain shot through her shoulder. Looking up, she found herself staring at the angry faces of Riley Chase and Amy Hannigan, _uberbicthes_ extraordinaire. 

*** * * **

Professor Xavier cast a scrupulous eye on the foster home. It was a dreary little house, with layers of paint peeling off the walls and a lawn that desperately needed to be watered. There was a rusty old station wagon in the driveway that indicated that someone was home. Collecting himself, Xavier knocked on the door. He heard the slow rustle of footsteps, and a short, mousy-looking woman peeked out from behind the chain-lock. She looked him over suspiciously.

"Whatever you're selling, I don't want it." 

The Professor chuckled. "Oh, no, I'm not a salesman Mrs. Baxter. I'm here to talk to you about the boy in your care. Lance Alvers."

"That damn boy," she muttered, "What did he do now?"

"Lance has done nothing wrong, I assure you. But there _is_ something important I need to discuss with you."

"Fine then," Mrs. Baxter replied, releasing the chain. "Come in."

The Professor's first impression of the inside was that it was not the ideal place to raise a growing young man. It was dark and dingy, and the air was thick with cigarette smoke. In the living room where a TV was blaring, a coffee table was covered in ashtrays. The plump little woman took a seat on the shabby couch, and turned off the TV. 

"So, what's this all about? You aren't from his school, are ya?"

Xavier folded his hands neatly in his lap. "No, I'm not. My name is Professor Charles Xavier, and I run the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters. Lance Alvers is the kind of boy I'm looking for at the Institute. He has the potential to do great things."

Mrs. Baxter let out a laugh. "Potential? Yeah, right. He'll never amount to anything."

"Oh, I beg to differ. Lance is special…he's different from other boys his age. I'd very much like to take him under my wing at the Institute, and have already talked to his social worker. All I need is the approval of you and your husband to take custody of him."

The woman was silent as she digested the Professor's words. She lit a cigarette to ease her thoughts. "Well…Lance has always been more trouble than he's worth. He's like his _parents_ that way. If you want him, Prof, you can take him."

*** * * **

"Uh, hey Riley. Amy. W-What's up?" Kitty stammered, trying to not sound as scared as she felt.  

"Hey Riley, What's up?" Amy mocked. With a snide laugh she added, "Pathetic."

The brunette stepped forward, putting her face dangerously close to Kitty's. She nervously pulled away, only to find her back against a brick wall. Smirking, Riley tossed her hair over her shoulder, and for the first time Kitty noticed the ugly black and blue bruise on her cheek.        

"Cut the crap, Pryde. We know you had something to do with happened to me at P.E." 

"Like, what are you talking about?! I had nothing to do with that!"

"She's lying! I _saw_ how she ran! Kitty-Kat knew what was up!" Amy broke in.

"No! Listen to me, it was someone el--!" she was silenced as Riley's hand smacked her sharply across the face.

"Shut up."

Kitty clutched her stinging cheek and tried desperately not to cry. She would not give them that satisfaction.

"Oh, stop your simpering, already," said Amy, annoyed. "I bet your cheek doesn't hurt nearly as much as Riley's does." 

At that moment voices could be heard coming around the corner. Kitty opened her mouth to cry for help, but her face fell when she saw whom it was. Bobbi, Laura, and Deirdre, the remaining members of Riley Chase's vicious little clique, giggled at her predicament.

"Did you get it?" Riley asked impatiently.

"Uh-huh," Bobbi reached into her purse and pulled out a miniature barbell. "Wrigley always leaves the gym utility closet unlocked," she handed it over to her friend. "I just hope she doesn't notice it's gone."

Riley chuckled. "Don't worry, this won't take long," she threw a menacing glance at Kitty. "I'm just breaking a couple fingers."

*** * * **

The Professor hadn't been at the high school long when he was reunited with Jean Grey. He was slightly surprised to see that Kitty Pryde was not with her.

"Did you talk to the boy's foster family?" the lovely teen inquired.

"Yes, Jean. Everything has been arranged. Now all that's left is to talk to Lance himself." Pausing, he met her gaze. "Have you spoken with Kitty again?"

She shook her head worriedly. "No. I haven't been able to find her, and I've looked everywhere!" 

Xavier frowned. Holding his chin thoughtfully, he wondered aloud, "Could it be that…" His thought would never be complete, for a familiar voice suddenly cried out his name. Both he and Jean turned, and saw Mr. and Mrs. Pryde running towards them. The couple looked very alarmed.

"Have you seen Kitty?" Mr. Pryde asked with a small note of fear.

"No," Xavier answered. "Is something wrong?" 

"She's late coming home from school…we were afraid that something had happened." Kitty's mother clutched her husband's hand for support.

Xavier knew what he had to do. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he cleared his mind and concentrated only on Kitty's whereabouts. In a moment, he picked up her brain signal.

The Prydes watched the Professor enter the trace-like state, wondering what the world he was doing. Jean would have smiled in bemusement at their curiousexpressions, if only the situation hadn't been so serious. Suddenly, Xavier's eyes flashed open, startling all three of them. 

"She's in trouble." 

*** * * **

The five girls closed in on Kitty, blocking any way of escape. Riley and her gang had labeled her as their prey since the first day of high school, but they had never been this angry or malicious. There was a genuine hatred in their eyes that frightened her.

"You really make me sick, Pryde. I'm tired of looking at you prance through the halls with your head in the clouds, as if you're better than the rest of us. You act so superior…but you're _nothing_ special."

Kitty's eyes widened as Riley's barbs sunk in. She then surprised herself and her attackers with her boldness: "I don't act superior, Riley…and you're wrong; there _is_ something special about me."

"Grab hold of her!" 

The four girls charged, taking a struggling Kitty in their grasp. Amy held onto her waist while Laura snatched her right arm and pinned it against the wall, ready for the clique queen's attack. 

"Hold still!" Bobbi gritted her teeth.

"Let go of me, you jerks!" Kitty shouted as she squirmed helplessly. She caught a glimpse of Riley coming towards her, the barbell raised high and ready to strike. 

Kitty's mind raced. _Got to get away, got to get away--!_ She focused on one thing—getting the hell out of there—and her body did the rest. In one fluid movement she phased out of the girls' grasps, and was free. For a second she was too shocked by the sensation of phasing through another person to move; and no doubt her assailants were surprised too. But then she got a hold of herself.

_Run! Just run, _her thoughts screamed. Wasting no more time, she took off as fast as her legs could carry her. 

Laura, Bobbi, Deirdre, and Amy all had the same reaction. They could only watch with their mouths agape as Kitty slipped away like a minnow, their feeble minds refusing to accept what had happened. It was their leader who brought them out of their stupor. 

"You idiots! Why the hell did you let her get away?!" Riley let out an enraged scream and then ran after her would-be victim. She never heard Amy's stunned reply: "We didn't let her go…she went right through us."

* * * 

Lance knew something was wrong. He had been waiting by the school offices for nearly twenty minutes, and Kitty was nowhere in sight. He knew she hadn't chickened out…he felt that they had really made a connection. So where was she?

Running a hand through his long dark hair, he began to pace. He was already nervous, but now he was starting to feel…afraid? Afraid of what? Lance didn't care if any teachers caught him poking around the offices. No…he was actually worried that something had happened to her.

_What's wrong with you, Alvers?_ Lance chided himself, _Getting soft for a girl…but she's no ordinary girl. _His brow furrowed. _Kitty._

She had possessed his thoughts from the moment she fell in on him. She was a girl who could walk through walls and he was a boy who could knock them down. Lance wasn't the type to believe in fate, but as far as he was concerned, they had met for a reason.

He was thinking about what he should do when he heard someone running nearby. 

_Is that her finally?_ The boy turned around the offices just in time for Kitty to knock into him blindly. She yelped in surprise and would have darted away, if not for Lance's restraining hands on her shoulders.

"Kitty?! It's me!" he exclaimed when he saw her frightened expression. She was breathing heavily and shaking in his arms; blinking, she stared at him in a daze as if seeing him for the first time. "L-Lance…" 

"What's wrong?" 

"It was Riley! She and her goons, like, attacked me back there…and I…I phased through them!"

It was then that Lance looked over her shoulder at the five girls standing only a few feet away. Kitty turned around slowly and saw Riley smiling sweetly, barbell nowhere in sight.

"Um, hi there!" She gave Lance a gaze that had stolen the heart of many a senior boy. "Can we talk with Kitty alone for a sec?"

"No, I don't think so." With that, he tightened his grip on Kitty's shoulders almost possessively.

"Awww, Come on! It's just girl stuff, you know how it is."

Lance's eyes darkened. "I _said_ I'm not leaving her alone."

With that, Riley dropped the act. Glaring, she stepped forward and pointed a finger at Lance. "Listen! This is between us and her, so you can just crawl back under your rock and stay out of it!" She made a move to snatch Kitty's arm, only to have the boy intervene and push her to the ground. Her four friends gasped in shock.

"_Don't _touch her!" he growled.

Something in Riley snapped. No one—_no one_—treated her like that, and the scumbag sure as hell wasn't going to get away with it. Getting on her feet, she thrust her hands into her shoulder bag. 

"Riley, I wouldn't--!" Amy shouted to no avail, as her friend had already grabbed the barbell and was charging at Lance. He threw out his hand, and the ground beneath her began to shake with violent force. The boy pulled back sharply, and the quaking dirt and rocks shot up in the air around the terrified girl. Then the ground under her feet rumbled and seemed to explode, sending her flying. She hit the ground with an excruciatingly loud _thud_. Amy and the other girls didn't stick around for the same treatment. Riley whimpered in pain and forced herself to stand on shaky legs. Kitty stared at her, and saw the hatred in her eyes was now replaced with fear. Then she was gone in a flash, never looking back.

Lance smirked with satisfaction as the bitch ran. Suddenly remembering the girl beside him, he faced her. She was still badly shaken from the whole experience, and Lance felt somewhat awkward. He was definitely not the comforting type; he knew he should say or do something to console her, but was coming up empty on ideas. Swallowing a lump in his throat, he asked, "Kitty…are you okay?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she tossed her arms around his middle, embracing him tightly.

_Whoa_, Lance thought, taken completely by surprise.

"Thank you…" Kitty whispered, at last releasing her tears. "Thank you so much! I was so scared!"

A small smile formed on Lance's lips. It had been a long time since anyone had hugged him like that, and it felt _nice_. Really nice. He slowly returned the embrace, comforting the sobbing young girl with his arms.

"You're welcome." 

*** * * **

Alexander Pryde had no choice but to follow the Professor after he said his daughter was in trouble. Filled with fatherly worry, he didn't even bother Xavier with the question of _how_ exactly he knew something was wrong. Perhaps it was best not to know. In any event he felt both relief and anger when he found his little girl—physically uninjured, but sobbing and shaking in the arms of a strange boy.

"Get your hands off my daughter!" he shouted as he marched towards them. The pair jumped in surprise as the man shoved Lance aside.

"Back off!" Lance snarled, refusing to leave Kitty. Mr. Pryde raised a fist and the ground began to tremble; things would have gotten ugly if not for the young Pryde girl interposing herself between the two.

"Daddy, no!" she exclaimed. "It's not what you think!"

"She's right, Mr. Pryde," said Xavier as he wheeled up, Jean by his side. "Kitty, why don't you tell us what happened."

Kitty regained her composure and told the whole story. "…And Lance scared them away. He was only protecting me, Daddy."

Alexander sighed. He stared at the gruff young man, and back at his daughter, who gave him a pleading look. "Ok, honey, I believe you. I'm just glad you're all right." Mr. and Mrs. Pryde gathered their child into a fierce hug. 

Feeling forgotten, Lance turned his eyes from the Kodak moment and briefly met the gaze of the redhead and the weird bald guy. "Red" was giving him a dirty look he wholeheartedly returned. Fed up with everything, he walked away. 

He hadn't gone very far when the Professor's voice stopped him. "You used your powers wisely today, Lance."

The boy brushed a stray lick of hair out of his eyes. "Look, what I did…wasn't any big deal."

"Yes, it was." Xavier approached. "Especially considering why you asked Kitty to meet you here."

Lance stiffened. Narrowing his eyes, he turned to wheelchair-bound man. "How did you--!"

**I'm a mutant, Lance.** Xavier answered telepathically. 

The teen pulled away. _His lips didn't move! _Lance reeled, _I heard his voice right in my head!_

**Like you and Kitty, I possess the X gene. It gives me telepathy, just as it gives her corporeal intangibility, and you geological manipulation. We are the next evolutionary step for humanity.**

"You're serious…there are others like us?"

The Professor nodded the affirmative. "In New York I've established an Institute for young mutants who are just developing their powers. You'd be a fine addition to the student body."

Lance snorted. "Whatever. Do you have any idea how many foster homes I've been in and out of? There's no way you'd want me, unless you're running some kind of detention center for freaks."

"I'm well aware of your record. You may have had a shadowed past, but I offer you a bright future. There's a lot of good in you, Lance, and you shouldn't deny that. You could have given Kitty up to those girls, but you didn't. You protected her with your powers, and that's the purpose of my Institute. To give mutants control of their gifts, so we might help better humankind."

Lance clenched his fists. His thoughts torn, he gazed over the Professor's shoulder at the Prydes, who were talking with Jean. He caught Kitty's attention, and she flashed him a quick smile. He felt all his qualms melt away at the sight of her.

"Will Kitty be going to the Institute?"

"Yes. Given her recent attack, her parents will want her to go somewhere where her safety will be guaranteed."

"All right then," Lance said, his mind made up. "I'll come with you."

Xavier smiled in satisfaction, and shook the youth's hand. 

"You're making the right decision."

*** * * **

Atop a nearby hillside, a lone figure watched Lance talk with his new advisor. Her eyes narrowed as they shook hands, and she seethed with rage.

_How could I have lost the boy to Xavier? _The woman thought irately. She had been assured that Lance Alvers would fall right into her hands, and this turn of events did not please her one bit. Turning her back to the happy scene of Lance joining Kitty and her family, Raven Darkholme, also known as Mystique, smirked deviously. 

"You may think you've won now, Xavier…but I'm not out of the game yet. Not by a long shot."

*** * * * * * * * * * * ***

To Be Continued… 

*** * * * * * * * * * * ***

**Author's Notes:** I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! The genesis for "Rock Your World" came after I re-watched "The X-Impulse" for the umpteenth time. It's always been one of my favorite episodes, but there's a lot about it that doesn't sit right with me. Why does Xavier say he'll try to recruit Lance, but does nothing to reach the boy? Why does he hang out at a mysterious unnamed building while telling Jean to get Kitty at any cost? How the heck did Mystique know where to find Lance, anyway? I intend to right those wrongs with my fic, as well as give Evolution's first season some new twists and turns. I love feedback, so please review! ~Sandoz


	2. First Impressions

**Chapter 2: First Impressions**

"Goodbye Mom, Daddy," Kitty said in tears as she hugged her parents for the last time. Rebecca Pryde gave only a stifled sob as she held her daughter, while Alexander put on a brave face.

"You'll be all right, sweetheart," he assured her. "You're in good hands."

Kitty managed to smile, and picked up the several bags she would be taking with her to the Institute. The girl gave one last wave to her parents; and preparing to board the sleek X-Jet, her eyes caught sight of Lance Alvers.

He was leaning against the jet nonchalantly, his eyes closed and deep in thought. He was not exactly looking forward to the trip, and had no desire at the moment to be cooped up with the other two passengers. The bald guy was all right, but judging from the dirty looks Red threw his way, she hadn't forgotten their confrontation in the drama room.    

"Lance?" 

He glanced up, surprised by the sound of her voice. "Yeah?"

"Were you waiting for me?" There was a faint blush to her cheeks, and, not for the first time, he realized how pretty she was. He could feel his cool exterior begin to melt.

"You got me." He threw up his hands in mock defeat, which earned him a smile. He had to admit, it was partly true.

Kitty noticed the battered duffle bag at the boy's feet. "Oh, is that all you're bringing?" she inquired innocently. 

Swinging it over his shoulder, Lance nodded. "I'm a light packer, unlike some people I could mention." He eyed Kitty's many bags.

"Well, we _are_ going to stay at the Institute for the rest of the school year." 

Lance opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by Jean Grey.

"All right you two, time to go." She knew the words had come out a little too harsh, but she couldn't help herself. Jean didn't like the way Lance was bonding with Kitty. She was a nice girl, and in Jean's mind, the rock-tumbler was far from trustworthy. Bottling up her displeasure, the redhead composed herself as the two boarded the jet, belongings in tow. She pretended not to notice Lance taking hold of Kitty's larger, more troublesome bags.

The Professor was at the controls, getting ready for takeoff. The three younger mutants strapped themselves in as the engines roared to life. The gates of the hangar opened, and they were clear to leave.

"We're ready to go, Professor." Jean said coolly. With that, the jet sped up and smoothly lifted up into the air, leaving the small suburb of Northbrook behind. 

The Prydes watched the X-Jet until it was nothing more than a dark dot in the sky. Rebecca grasped her husband's hand as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"My little kitten," she whispered. "Did we really do the right thing, Alexander?"

She waited for a reply, but received none. Instead, she felt his hand slip out of hers. The sorrowful mother turned around, only to see her husband slowly walking away from her, his head held low.

*** * * **

A grimacing Lance clutched the armrests of his seat as the X-Jet picked up speed. _Do they have to go this fast?!_ he wondered. The boy's stomach was doing cartwheels, and he could feel the school cafeteria's hamburger special coming back to haunt him. As soon as it was safe, he hastily unbuckled his seatbelt and rushed for the restroom.

Kitty, on the other hand, was enjoying the flight. She had found the sudden rush of speed to be exhilarating, just like a roller coaster. Her feelings of excitement were dampened however, when she saw her fellow mutant stumble weakly towards the lavatory with his arms around his abdomen. The restroom doors slammed shut, and she made out a muffled groan, then the sounds of him being sick.

Worried by the painful sounds, Kitty left her seat and knocked on the door. "Lance?" she called. No answer. She knocked again, more firmly that time. Again, there was no response. 

Lance was hovering above the sink, beads of sweat dripping down his forehead. He was startled when he glanced up in the mirror and saw Kitty suddenly appear through the door.

"Are you all right?" 

Touched by her concern, he smiled weakly. "Yeah. I'm juuuust peachy." He gave her thumbs up, just as the jet hit some turbulence. The boy's expression turned green and he bolted for the toilet, where he promptly threw up. 

Kitty winced sympathetically, and did the only thing she could do. She held back his hair.

*** * * **

The mutant known as Scott Summers was lying in bed, recovering from the day's earlier physics midterm, when he heard a knock on the door. 

"Come in," he said, his voice slightly muffled by the pillow covering his head.

"Hello Scott," Ororo Munroe said as she entered. 

The boy quickly sat up, and grinned at the instructor. "Oh hi, Ororo. What's up?"

"I've just been contacted by Professor Xavier, and he informed me that he and Jean will be back shortly with two new recruits."

"Two new recruits?" Scott echoed in amazement. "Who are they?"

Her lips curled into a smile. "Mr. Summers, I'm afraid I know as much about them as you do. Be sure to let Kurt know, if you see him."

"Sure. No problem," Scott's voice was distant as she shut the door behind her. Falling back down on the bed, he let out a sigh, murmuring, "The Institute will be filled up in no time… "

*** * * **

The flight to Bayville went by remarkably fast. Kitty and Lance were now strapped back in their seats, since his stomach was now free of food. Lance still felt a little queasy, but more than anything, he was embarrassed. Kitty noticed his downtrodden expression.

"Feeling any better?"

"I guess so," he replied glumly.

"Hey, don't feel bad. I mean, like, lots of people get airsick."           

"Well, it wouldn't be so bad if this stupid jet weren't so damn fast," Lance mumbled under his breath.

Kitty chuckled. "Is this your first time flying?"

"So what if it is?" he said defensively.

"Don't worry. It'll be our little secret, okay?" Once again, Lance was confronted with the sight of her smiling face. Her eyes were a deep and abiding blue.

"All right," he returned the smile, "Thanks."

"We're approaching the Institute," Professor Xavier informed them.

 Kitty looked out the window, and saw a beautiful mansion alone in the countryside. "Is that it?" she asked excitedly. 

"It sure is," Jean answered with a note of pride. The X-Jet began to slow down, and two hangar doors at the Institute opened. 

"Wow," Kitty whispered, stunned. Lance let out a relieved sigh as the jet landed safely. 

Meanwhile, the other four members of Xavier's school were in the hangar, eagerly awaiting their arrival. 

"So, vhat do you zink ze two new mutants vill be like?" Kurt, still in his holo-watch form, inquired.

"Honestly, I have no idea," Scott replied with a shrug.

"Vell, I vouldn't mind if zey vere two hot babes!" 

His cycloptic friend didn't join in his laughter, for he was far too busy watching Jean exit the jet. She had only been gone a day, but Scott had missed her presence terribly.            

Following Jean and the Professor was a new girl. 

"All right!" the German cheered, his prediction seemingly coming true. She was pretty and petite, maybe a little younger than him, with long brown hair tied in a ponytail. In blue jeans and a pink sweater, she was the physical embodiment of cuteness. Kurt's heart beat like a drum.

The second new recruit wasn't nearly as attractive in Kurt's eyes, due to the fact he was male. He was tall and disheveled, clothed in a black t-shirt and ripped jeans. He definitely didn't look too thrilled to be there. 

The two new recruits stood next to each other as Xavier wheeled over to his colleagues and students.

"Welcome back, Charles," said Ororo. Logan nodded in acknowledgement.

"It's good to be back," Xavier replied. "Ororo, Logan, Scott and Kurt, I'd like you to meet Kitty Pryde and Lance Alvers. Kitty has the power to walk through walls, while Lance can create earthquakes."

"Welcome to the Xavier Institute," Ororo greeted them with a broad, warming smile.

"It's nice to meet you," replied a suddenly shy Kitty.

"Hallo!" a smiling boy appeared out of nowhere and enthusiastically shook her hand. He looked normal enough, but when she held his hand she knew something was amiss.

_His fingers feel odd_, she thought, _and…fuzzy?_

Lance found himself facing a tall boy his age. He was wearing sunglasses, which he thought was weird since the hangar was so poorly lit.

"Hey there." The boy grinned and held out his hand. "I'm Scott."

Raising an eyebrow, he looked the preppy young man over. Unimpressed, he shook his hand roughly. 

"Lance," was all he said before brushing past him. Scott watched the gruff rock-tumbler walk away, a frown darkening his handsome face.

*** * * **

Not much later, the two new mutants were treated to their first dinner at the Institute. Finishing off her caesar salad, Kitty glanced at the seven others seated at the table.

"So, like, everyone here is a mutant?" she asked tentatively, wincing a bit as she said the last word.

"Indeed we are, Kitty," the Professor answered. "We are all alike, though we have different abilities."

"Like what?" Lance, who was sitting next to her, wondered the same thing.

"I have the gift of telepathy, which allows me to read minds."

"So do I," Jean spoke up, "though I have the added bonus of telekinesis." To emphasize her point, she mentally lifted her glass of water to her lips and drank. 

Next to her sat the lovely dark-skinned woman, Ororo, and she replied next. "Well, I can control and manipulate the weather." As if on cue, a loud clap of thunder could be heard overhead. Ororo smiled knowingly.

_Wow_, Kitty and Lance thought in unison. Their eyes then moved to the rough older man sitting across from Ororo. With a low grunt, Logan unsheathed a long metallic claw from the back of his hand, and cut himself a piece of rump roast. 

_A man of few words,_ Lance thought wryly, _I should probably make a mental note to_ not _get on his bad side_.

Then there was the boy with the shades. Scott. With an uncomfortable smile, he ran his hands through his reddish-brown hair. "I'd give a demonstration, but I don't think the Professor would appreciate the damage."

"What?"

"Powerful force beams shoot from his eyes," Jean answered for him. 

Lance threw her a penetrating glare. _I asked him, not you_, he was careful not to say out loud. He and the redhead shared a moment of mutual dislike. 

Unaware of Lance and Jean's staring contest, Kitty turned to the bright-eyed boy in baggy pants. "What can you do?" 

Kurt smirked. This was his chance to really impress her. "Vatch zis!" he cried as he vanished in a cloud of sulfurous smoke. Kitty gasped, and an instant later he reappeared, dangling from the chandelier like an acrobat. He gave her a wink and disappeared again, only to re-materialize back at his seat, where he bowed theatrically.

"Don't be a show-off, elf," Logan scolded as he slapped Kurt on the back. He meekly fell back in his chair. 

"Sorry sir," he mumbled, face red.

Kitty stifled a laugh. She could get used to living there.

*** * * **

The Brotherhood of Bayville Boarding House was one of the town's oldest and most cherished buildings. Upon hearing its name and seeing the place for the first time, Mystique bought it up in a flash. Let it never be said she didn't have a flair for the dramatic. All of the building's prestige and the appropriateness of its title were wasted on one Todd Tolensky however. 

The frog-faced young man was home alone, watching the tube in the home's spacious den. Todd discovered a mosquito and was about to have a snack when the front door suddenly flew open, revealing the angry form of Raven Darkholme. The boy cried out in surprise and fell back down on the couch as his principal and guardian stormed by. The furious look on her face made him afraid that she found out he had skipped school again. He sighed in relief as she stalked up the stairs, ignoring him completely.

Todd wiped his brow. _Whew, that is one bad lady._

Raven slammed the door to her room shut. Once inside her master suite, she let out a frustrated growl and morphed back into her true form. Picking up her phone, Mystique dialed a number she knew by heart.

*** * * **

In a modest home in rural Mississippi, a phone rang. Its owner answered, not at all surprised at who was on the other line. 

"Hello, Raven. I know why you're calling."

"No doubt you do, Irene," Mystique's voice was a low growl, "What happened?"

Irene rubbed her temple and sat down. "I see probabilities, not the preordained. I told you the girl would side with Xavier, but the boy's fate was much more clouded."

"You assured me he would be mine."

The blind woman sighed. Raven could be so difficult. "I assured nothing! I could only guess what side he'd choose with the clues given to me. In any event, he will be very important in times to come."

"So then you've had more visions regarding him and the rest of the X-Men?" Mystique inquired with a feral purr. "Tell me more."

Just then, Irene heard the sounds of someone coming in the front door.

"I'm home!" a feminine voice colored with a Southern accent called.

"I can't talk anymore right now," the woman whispered harshly before hanging up and greeting her young charge. "How was your day?"

"Fine, I guess," the pretty goth replied airily. "Who was on the phone?"

"No one, dear," Irene answered with a heavy heart, "No one at all."

*** * * **

It was evening at the Xavier Institute. The Professor was taking his newest students on a private tour of the mansion, showing them the grounds, their rooms, and the many facilities that would be available to them. Kitty was in a perpetual state of awe, and even Lance had to admit he was impressed. The Institute was a far cry from the orphanage he spent half his childhood in.

"And I'll make arrangements at the local high school for you two to attend classes," Xavier explained as he led them down a hall.

"Wait a minute," Lance interrupted, "I thought _this_ place was a school."

"At Bayville High you and Kitty will be able to interact with your human peers and carry on a normal social life. You are teenagers, after all," the elder mutant said matter-of-factly. "My Institute is about teaching you how to obtain control of your mutant powers."

The three of them were now down a long corridor, facing a huge door. Kitty and Lance exchanged questioning looks as the professor put his palm on a scanner that automatically opened the next corridor. The door revealed a long metallic passageway that was right out of a science fiction film. The stunned pair followed Xavier as he led them down into a small control room that resembled an observation booth. It was filled with various controls and gadgets whose purpose the teens could barely fathom. 

"What is all this?" Kitty murmured. She gazed out the wraparound windows down at some sort of arena. At that precise moment a pair of gates opened, revealing five familiar figures. She immediately recognized Jean due to her full mane of bright red hair. The girl had traded in her khakis for a tight black bodysuit with a streak of green down her form. Scott was next to her, wearing another black bodysuit with a loud yellow X across his chest. His shades were replaced with a yellow and red visor. Ororo stood tall and regal in dark purple spandex with white gloves and a long, flowing cape. Logan's face was covered by feral orange and black mask, but Kitty identified him by his muscular, intimidating build. Lastly, there was a boy who had the same facial features and long black hair as Kurt, but otherwise looked very different. His skin was covered in blue fur, and he had three elongated fingers on each hand. As if that wasn't weird enough, he also had a long prehensile tail that whipped behind him as he walked. 

"Holy--!" Lance's voice trailed off as he looked down at the bizarre scene. "What's going on? Why are they dressed up like it's Halloween?"

"Just watch," Xavier said, his face unreadable.

Suddenly, the arena changed. No longer an empty stadium, a holographic image turned it into a rugged jungle terrain. The five mutants assembled into a unit, and proceeded to march through the foreign environment as if in search of something. Then, out of nowhere, a swarm of poison darts aimed directly at them cut through the air. Acting fast, Jean threw out her arm and the barbs stopped in midair. Unfortunately, there was more coming.

"Teams Alpha, Beta, split up!" Ororo shouted as she flew into the air. Team Beta obeyed her instructions as Kurt grabbed Scott and bamfed out of harm's way, while Jean telekinetically stopped more darts. Logan, the other half of Team Alpha, followed the weather witch's lead. Ororo used her powers to form a mighty gust of wind that blasted through the heavy green foliage, exposing three dart-blowing robots. The metallic trio then fired a volley of deadly looking saw blades at the two. Logan unsheathed his claws, and sliced through the blades with lightening-quick reflexes. Ororo then took charge and destroyed the robots with a powerful burst of lightening from her hands.

Meanwhile, Team Beta was charging through the wilderness towards their goal. Whenever un unseen attacker fired a volley of blades at them, Scott would either blast them away with his optic beams, or Jean would stop them dead before they could do any damage. Just then, they broke through a clearing and saw a plateau on which rested a vial of red liquid. The object of their quest was being guarded by a troupe of more robots.

"Nightcrawler, go!" Scott shouted Kurt's codename as he began firing at the robots.

"Right!" the blue boy nodded. Kurt teleported onto the plateau as Scott's beams protected him by making short work of the machines. He then snatched the vial and with a sulfurous _bamf_ he was back at Scott's side. The vial had been retrieved; mission accomplished. The teens high-fived each other as the hologram faded.

"Great teamwork, everyone," Xavier congratulated them over the speakers. He then turned his eye towards his new recruits. "Well?" he asked expectantly.

"_That's _what you meant by gaining control of our abilities?" Lance scowled.

"Yes, in a manner of speaking."

"I don't remember dressing up in tights and playing VR games being part of the package here."

"I assure you that this is all necessary," Xavier said calmly. "Why don't we go and talk to your teammates?" 

"Whatever," Lance scoffed as the Professor led the way. Trailing behind the wheelchair-bound man, the boy gently nudged Kitty.

He whispered into her ear, "What do you think of all this?" 

"I don't know _what_ to think," she answered honestly. "This is all so unreal. But that whole setup down there with the holograms and the robots was totally freaky."

"Tell me about it."

The three then entered the arena, where they were reunited with the other members of the Institute. Jean was beaming. "Did you like the demonstration?" she asked with a saccharine smile.

"Pff. You wish," Lance muttered under his breath just loud enough for her to hear. A shadow passed over Jean's face, but she quickly brushed it off.

Kitty gave a tired sigh. She had so many questions, and now she wanted answers. "Professor, can you please explain what's going on? Like, what's the deal with all of this?"

In a calm, fatherly voice, Xavier began to explain. "Mutants have existed for many, many years now, but the public remains unaware of them. I believe that humanity is not ready to know about us yet; after all, people fear what they do not understand. There are many who would persecute us and harm us simply for what we are, and unfortunately, there are just as many mutants who would do the same to _them_. But someday soon mutants will be exposed, and we are preparing for that day. Where we're standing right now is called the Danger Room, and here we utilize the latest technology to help us train and hone our powers."

Lance took a step forward, crossing his arms over his chest. "Who's _'we?'_"

Xavier's wheelchair turned, and he faced the five costumed mutants. He identified them all. "Jean Grey. Cyclops. Storm. Wolverine. Nightcrawler." His gaze then returned to Lance and Kitty.

"We are the X-Men."

*** * * * *** * * * * * * *

To Be Continued… 

*** * * * * * * * * * * ***


	3. Schoolhouse Rock

Chapter 3: Schoolhouse Rock 

A new day dawned on Bayville. The rosy sun crept over the hills, and began to bathe the town in its orange and pink light. The early morning sunrises were truly a sight to behold; unfortunately for Kitty Pryde, she was cooped up in the bowels of the Institute and could not enjoy the spectacle.

Yawning, she stretched out her limbs. It'd be a while before she'd get used to waking up so early. She hadn't even tied her hair into its trademark ponytail yet. Accompanied by Jean and Professor Xavier, she stood in the control center looking over the Danger Room. Kitty had successfully completed her first training exercise only yesterday, and now it was Lance's—or rather, Avalanche's—turn to show what he could do.

*** * * * ***

In the men's locker room, Lance finished putting on the uniform that marked him as an X-Man. His costume consisted of a form-fitting black bodysuit, yellow gloves and boots, and a belt that bore the "X" insignia. All in all, it was a rather embarrassing display. Lance studied himself in a nearby mirror, and for the hundredth time that week he wondered why he said yes to joining the X-Men.

Maybe it was because Kitty had agreed to.

Maybe it was because he had nothing better to do.

And maybe, just maybe, there had been more than a grain of truth to Xavier's cornball speech about mutants and humans.

Shaking the troubling thoughts from his head, Lance took a deep breath and prepared himself for what was about to come. He hastily stuffed his civilian clothes in a locker and headed for the door that led him to the Danger Room.

Avalanche was ready to rock.

*** * * * ***

Kitty's face lit up when she saw Avalanche enter. He sauntered over to Cyclops and Nightcrawler, who would also be participating in the exercise. 

She turned to the Professor, who was setting up the simulation. "When will it start?"

"Right now." 

Avalanche steeled himself as the arena turned into a craggy range of rocks. Looking far out in the distance, he made out the three plateaus he would have to get across to complete the session. _All right,_ he told himself, _I can do this._

Suddenly, a flank of robots burst out of the rocks directly in front of the small group. Cyclops quickly made a path through the attackers with his optic blasts, and took charge of the team. 

"Follow me!" he shouted. Nightcrawler obeyed, and ran on all fours behind him, but Avalanche lingered just long enough for the robots to recover. The machines charged at him, and he heard the sharp click of weapon systems being engaged. 

The young mutant stood his ground. Extending both his arms, he sent seismic waves through the rocky earth below the robots. He bared his teeth as he concentrated all his energy on creating the earthquake. The ground split, and the metallic troupe fell through the divided earth to certain doom. 

With a cocky smile, Avalanche ran to catch up with the other two members of his team. He carelessly stumbled over the unstable ground, and, letting out a startled cry, he was able to grab hold on the side of the cliff just as the earth below his feet gave way. He narrowly missed sharing the same fate as the steel automatons.

Several yards away, Nightcrawler heard Avalanche's yell. He abruptly turned around, only to see his new teammate struggling to pull himself up from the edge of the cliff. He teleported over to him and held out his hand. 

"Here!" he cried.

Scowling, Avalanche growled and slapped it away. He then threw one leg on top of the edge and pulled himself up with a mighty heave. His feelings hurt from the slap, Kurt teleported away.

**Look at that,** Jean, mindful of Kitty's presence, telepathically spoke to Xavier. **He has no regard for teamwork.**

**I can see that,** The Professor responded thoughtfully. He pressed a red button on the control panel in front of him, and the simulation faded. The three mutants below stopped dead as he spoke over the intercom. "That's enough for this morning, boys. You'd better get ready for school."

"School?" Cyclops said, bewildered. "But we have over forty-five minutes before first bell."

"Yes, but Kitty and Lance need to leave early today. They can't be late for their orientation with Principal Darkholme."

"All right," Cyclops said in understanding. 

Avalanche stalked back into the locker room, not wanting to face either Cyclops or Nightcrawler. He knew he had botched the session, and didn't feel like being lectured about it. He quickly changed back into his normal attire and left the locker room feeling frustrated with himself. All his bottled up anger disappeared, however, when he saw who was waiting for him outside.

"Hey there," Kitty greeted, "That was an _interesting_ training exercise."  

Lance sighed. "Yeah, yeah, I screwed up. So sue me for not buying into that teambuilding crap."

Her voice took on a comforting tone. "Well, like, the Professor didn't say anything about it, so maybe it wasn't _that_ bad."

The boy shrugged. "Maybe." Then, after a pause, his face brightened. "Hey, there's something I want to show you."

"Really?" she quirked an eyebrow. "What is it?"

Taking her hand, he led her down the hall. "Just follow me," he said mysteriously. 

As they walked, Kitty felt the need to make conversation. "So, are you excited about going back to school?"

"Not really. I don't see the point to it."

"At least we missed midterms."

"Yeah. You don't sound so excited about going back yourself," he observed.

Kitty bit her lip. "I'm a little nervous. Back in Northbrook, school really wasn't my thing. You know, with Riley and all." Her smile faded at the mention of the bully.

"Didn't you have any friends?"

"Nope. I was pretty much alone. What about you?"

He thrust his hands in his pockets, shrugging his shoulders again. "I hung out with some guys." For the first time since his arrival in Bayville, Lance thought about Griff and Pete. Could he even call them friends anymore? He hadn't let them know he was leaving, and somehow he doubted they would miss him.

By that time the pair had exited the Institute and were now facing the garage. Lance lifted up the door, a glimmer in his eye. "All right, you ready to see it?"

Kitty nodded. "Sure!"

The longhaired mutant grinned as the door rose, revealing a somewhat battered old jeep. 

"Wow!" she exclaimed, "You have your own car?"

"Uh-huh. I got back in Northbrook. The old man had it shipped here. It might not be the flashiest ride around," he eyed the slick, cherry-red convertible next to it, "But it's mine."

Kitty could tell from his voice that he was proud of it. With a sly look, she asked, "Wanna go for a ride?"

Lance's eyes widened at her seemingly innocent question, and his lips curled into a smirk. But before he could answer, Scott, Jean, and Kurt interrupted them.

"What's up, guys?" Scott said casually as he hopped into the front seat of his convertible.

"Oh, nothing much," Kitty shrugged, brushing one of her long bangs behind an ear.

Jean took the passenger seat while Kurt 'ported into the back. Giving a big grin, he called, "Hey Kitty, zere's room for one more!"

She glanced at Lance, then back to Kurt. "Sorry, but I'm riding to school with Lance today," she smiled apologetically.

The fuzzy one was visibly disappointed. "Oh. Okay. Maybe next time."

Lance rolled his eyes. "We better get going." Doing his best Xavier impression, he added, "We don't want to be late for our orientation!"

Kitty tried to contain her laughter as she joined him in the jeep. He turned on the ignition, and they were off.

*** * * * ***

The other three students of the Xavier Institute were driving to Bayville High when Jean spoke the thoughts that had been bothering her all morning.

"It seems the Danger Room exercises with Lance are off to a bad start."

Scott's brow furrowed. "It was only his first time out there. He'll learn the importance of cooperation and teamwork soon enough."

"For some reason, he strikes me as not being a team player," Kurt mused as he thought about the slap. "Kitty's really nice, though. But I don't zink she likes me…" his voice trailed off sadly.

"What makes you say that?" Scott asked.

Kurt stared down at his hands. "It feels like ever since she found out I don't really look like _zis_, she's been avoiding me. And vhen I try to talk to her, she sometimes gives me funny looks."

"Don't let it bother you. Kitty's new to the world of mutants, Kurt, and she'll come around."

"I hope you're right," the dejected mutant replied. _Because I really like her._

*** * * * ***

Despite leaving early, Lance and Kitty made it to school with only a couple minutes to spare. They easily found Ms. Darkholme's office, and soon they were sitting in front of her desk. 

She was a tall, imposing figure, with dark eyes that burned with a strange intensity. Kitty felt uncomfortable under her spotlight.

"Well, Ms. Pryde, after looking at the records from your previous school, I can safely say you'll fit right in at Bayville High."

"Thank you, ma'am," she feigned a smile.

Ms. Darkholme's eyes then went to Lance. "But your old teachers, Mr. Alvers, had quite a lot of interesting things to say about you." Her voice was positively frigid.

"Yeah, uh, let's just say I'm ready to turn over a new leaf." 

"Very well. I suggest you keep in mind that I will _not_ tolerate any misbehavior at my school. I would not even _think_ of letting in someone with your past transgressions if not for Professor Xavier's glowing recommendation and his _assurance_ that you would be nothing less than a model student." Of course, that wasn't the truth. Lance's bad record and Xavier's recommendation didn't mean a damn thing to her. It was crucial that he be at Bayville High, where she could watch over him, and manipulate him when the time came. She had plans for the boy, after all.

*** * * * ***

Lance and Kitty left Ms. Darkholme's office with feelings of uncertainty.

"That was weird," the freshman said wryly. "Was it just me, or was she, like, really out to get you?"

"_All_ my teachers have been out to get me," Lance threw up his hands in exasperation. "I'm used to it."

 "Oh! I better go find my locker. I'll catch ya later, Lance! Good luck with your classes!" Kitty waved as she hurried off, a skip in her step. 

"See ya," he replied, standing dumbly in the middle of the hall and watching her go. Sighing to himself, he reached into his backpack and pulled out the paper that had his schedule and locker number on it. It took him a bit to find No. 105, but when he did he was irritated to see that some lug in a varsity jacket was leaning against it, flirting with a girl who was no doubt a cheerleader.

"Excuse me," the mutant told the football player's back, to no reply. The blonde muscle-head was apparently too busy making plans for Friday night to pay attention to someone who couldn't bench press his own weight.

Furrowing his brow, Lance prodded the boy's arm. "That's my locker. Move it!" he said more forcefully. The ground began to move just a little.

"Watch the jacket!" the jock finally acknowledged his presence.

"Just get away from my locker," Lance snapped back, struggling to keep his emotions in check.

"Who do you think you're talking to, loser?!" 

"Awww, Duncan, forget him!" the cheerleader pouted, latching onto his arm like a barnacle. Duncan gave the dark-haired boy a dirty look before allowing the bouncy girl to lead him away.

Lance clenched his fists, his nails scratching his palms. If that had happened in Northbrook, that brain-dead jock would have been on the floor, crying about a broken jaw. Part of him hated holding back, while the rest of him knew that avenging his pride wasn't worth earning the eternal enmity of Principal Darkholme.

Lance went to his first class feeling like hell.

*** * * * ***

The rest of the morning was relatively painless. Lance was still in a dark mood, though the thought of having lunch with Kitty brightened it. He was on his way to the cafeteria when a voice called his name. Looking around, he saw a familiar khaki-clad boy come his way.

"Summers. What is it?" 

Taken aback by Lance's harsh tone, Scott frowned. "I just wanted to talk to you about this morning's exercise, _Alvers_."

"Oh. That."

"Yes, that. You know, with those exercises it's very important for us to work together as a group--"

"What are you, the old guy's Mini-Me? I know the drill."

His patience at an end, Scott shouted, "God, what's your problem? You're never going to fit in with the X-Men with that attitude!" 

"Who says I even _want _to fit in with you?!" Lance snarled, then stormed off before things could get out of hand.

Suddenly alone, Scott let go of the breath he didn't know he'd been holding. It was going to be a long day.

*** * * * ***

Trouble soon found Lance again. After the confrontation with Scott he went to the cafeteria, where he had the bad luck to get in the lunch line behind a scrawny, smelly boy in a hooded sweatshirt.

"Could this line be any slower? Just go, already!" Todd Tolensky huffed.

"What're you doing in this line anyway? I thought you only ate flies!" the blonde boy beside him laughed mockingly. Glancing over, Lance recognized him as the jerk from earlier. Duncan. 

"Har-dee-har-har," Todd made a face. 

Lance was trying to ignore the arrogant quarterback when a couple rowdy freshmen suddenly knocked into him. He stumbled into Todd, who bumped into Duncan. Duncan, who had just gotten his lunch tray, inadvertently spilled his Coke all over the sleeve of his letter jacket. His face twisted in anger, and he spun around. 

"Dammit, Toady!" he seethed, grabbing him by the collar. "Look what you did to my jacket!"

"Hey, it was an accident!" Lance broke in. "Let him go."

"Yo, I don't need no help!" Todd squawked indignantly. Then he looked back at Duncan, who was raising a fist. "Ok, maybe I do."

Before Lance or Duncan could make a move, Todd spit a glob of green slime in the blonde boy's face. Lance's eyes went wide.

"Aughh!" Duncan cried, dropping him and frantically wiping his face clean. Reaching over the counter, he grabbed a tray of Jell-O and hurled it at Todd. He quickly ducked, and the gelatin struck Lance.

The rock-tumbler growled, and the ground rumbled in response to his rage. Fighting fire with fire, he snatched the spaghetti trough and heaved it at the jock. Duncan narrowly sidestepped, and the red sauce and noodles met the white blouse of another girl. Lance cringed as he met the gaze of a very pissed off Jean Grey.

"Ooooh!" The redhead narrowed her eyes, and he found himself under attack from more Jell-O cups. Jean topped it off by telekinetically throwing a fruit bowl at him, which fell messily on his head. 

Someone yelled "Food Fight!" and all hell broke loose. Somewhere in the commotion Todd made his exit, while Duncan slipped on spilled gelatin and had an embarrassing fall. The mayhem hit critical mass when Principal Darkholme stormed in.

"What is going on here?!" she demanded furiously. She immediately turned to Lance, the messiest boy in the cafeteria. "So much for turning over a new leaf, eh Mr. Alvers? I should have expected a stunt like this!"

"Wait, Ms. Darkholme!" a new voice interrupted. Scott Summers stepped in from the crowd. "Duncan started it, not Lance. I saw the whole thing."

"Is this true?" she questioned Lance. 

He nodded. "Completely."

Raven sighed. The testimony of a straight-arrow student like Scott was good enough for the Principal of Bayville High, though the part of her that was Mystique didn't care for it at all.

"Mr. Matthews!" she faced the boy. 

Dumbfounded, he pulled himself off the floor. "What?"

"Clean yourself up, then go immediately to my office. There we'll discuss your punishment."

"But I--!" 

"Go!" she cut him off, pointing to the exit. Duncan made a quick getaway. Then she glared at everyone else remaining in the lunchroom. "Dismissed!" she roared.

The cafeteria quickly emptied, leaving her alone. Hands on her hips, the woman surveyed the carnage. The floor was covered in Jell-O, spaghetti, and any other food the students had found handy. There were quite a few tables turned over, and a "Go Bayville!" banner had been pulled off the wall and ripped in two.

Raven stamped her foot. "Just who is God's name is going to clean this up?!"

*** * * * ***

In the boy's restroom, Lance was having difficulty cleaning the stains off his shirt. Finally giving up, he said, "Screw it," and pulled on his baggy gym shirt emblazed with Bayville High's logo. It was incredibly dorky, but better than going to fifth period covered in green Jell-O.

The door opened, and Lance frowned as Scott entered.

"Hey," the boy in sunglasses greeted. Searching for the right words, he continued. "I guess you've had a rough first day."

Lance wrestled with his thoughts for a moment. Then, he grudgingly replied, "Thanks for defending me back there. Darkholme already has issues with me."

"I could see that," Scott smirked.

"What about that boy, Toad or whatever he was called? I saw him spit some gross slime on Duncan."

"Well, amazingly enough, he's a mutant too."

Lance blinked. "Then why hasn't he been given Xavier's incredible recruitment speech yet?"

"We did try to reach him," the other boy replied a little uneasily, "But he refused." _Should I tell him about Mystique and the Brotherhood?_ he thought. _No. It's not my place. If the Professor hasn't briefed him yet, he probably has reasons._

Lance accepted Scott's explanation. Flipping his backpack over his shoulder, he said dismissively, "I'm outta here, Summers."

"Scott," he corrected.

Lance looked at him over his shoulder, smiling in spite of himself. "See you, Scott."

"Later, Lance." Laughing, he called after him, "You know, that fruit bowl was a good look for you!"

"Shut up, Summers."

*** * * * ***

Kitty hopped down the front steps of Bayville High, humming a happy tune. School in Bayville had been a breeze compared to Northbrook, and she was genuinely happy with herself. She walked down to the student parking lot, where she found her friend leaning against his jeep.

"Hey Lance! How was your day?" she asked cheerfully.

"Very messy," he replied.

"I take it you got caught in the crossfire of the food fight, then?"

He nodded. Looking her over, he remarked, "You look like you got out unscathed, though."

"Yup, I phased out before the spaghetti hit the fan, as it were." She flashed him a dazzling smile. 

Lance felt the heat rise to his cheeks. _What is it about her smile that makes me feel this way?_ he wondered.No matter how many times he saw her face light up, it always managed to touch a part of him.

Shaking off Kitty's spell, Lance hopped into the jeep, his companion sliding in next to him. 

"Hopefully tomorrow will be better," she said lightheartedly. "Mr. Logan's demo this afternoon should be pretty cool, and from then on we can take it easy."

Lance chuckled. "Yeah. Compared to this morning, tonight should be a breeze!"

*** * * * ***

In the Danger Room observation center, the assembled X-Men watched Logan, clad in black ninja attire, stealthily make his way through the mansion's air vent systems on an illuminated computer screen. Confronted by Storm, the burly mutant was flushed down the vents into the heart of the Danger Room. Several automated weapons, including a laser gun, appeared out of the walls and began firing upon him. He easily dodged the many blasts and made short work of the machines with his adamantiam claws, until Storm's voice stopped him.

"That's enough, Logan. I'm afraid this is all we can afford at the moment," she cautioned over the speakers.

Logan smirked. "Hey, when I give a demo, I give a demo."

"Is that 'demo' in demonstration, or _demolish?_ I mean, what was the point?" asked Scott as he surveyed the scene.

"The point, young Cyclops, is to find the weak points in our security system," Storm answered.

At that moment, Logan strode into the observation center and pulled off his black mask. "There're some flaws in the security I think you need to weed out, Storm. Maybe poison gas will do the trick."

Storm glared. 

"Oh, have it your way. Maybe _knockout gas_ will do the trick."

Kitty shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself. "Poison gas? I'm sorry, but that's just _too_ freaky."

"Awww, relax, Kitty!" Kurt grinned as he 'ported right next to her. Startled, she gasped and pulled away. "Ve're behind you all ze vay!" he added, _bamfing_ to her other side.

"Ugh! Like, stay away from me!" she exclaimed, backing away from him.

"Um, popcorn?" he held up a bowl with his tail as a peace offering. 

Lance scowled as he saw Kurt bother Kitty. Feeling his protective urges rise to the surface, he took hold of Kurt's shoulder and shoved him away. "Beat it, Smurf." 

Kitty sighed in relief. "Thanks," she whispered.

A sullen Kurt walked over to Scott, who was talking with Jean. A curious expression on his face, he tugged on his sleeve.

"What is it, Kurt?" the cycloptic boy asked.

"Err, sorry if zis is a stupid question, but vhat is a Smurf?"

 "Uuuuhhh…" Before he could answer, however, the Professor suddenly entered the room, wearing a look of dead seriousness.

"We have an emergency. Scott, assemble the team and prep the X-Jet for launch."  
  


"Yes, sir!" the young field leader snapped to attention. "But what's wrong?"

"Cerebro has detected a new mutant signature in Caldecott, Mississippi. My mental readings indicate that she is highly disturbed, and is a danger to others, as well as herself. X-Men, we have a rogue."

*** * * * * * * * * * * **

To Be Continued…

* * * * * * * * * * *

**Author's Notes:** "Day of Recovery" was very, very awesome. Todd flirting with Wanda—sheer comedic brilliance! My one complaint: it was over too soon! And I had hoped to see some Avalanche/Shadowcat interaction, since he was the only male B'Hood member on the rescue team. I hate it when they leave me hanging. ::sigh:: Oh, the new opening kicks serious ass too. 

Now, to answer a few questions.

FiReyLighT: Yes, this will be a Lance/Kitty fic. Expect to see a lot of lovey-dovey stuff around Chapter 6 or so.

Neva: Maybe. As of now I have no plans to make it Anti-Xavier, but hey, that could change. Every time I try to plan where I want this story to go, it takes a few new twists and turns.

The Scribe: One New Mutant will definitely show up earlier, in order to fill Lance's spot in the Brotherhood. Three guesses as to who it is. ::evil smile:: As for the rest, all I can say is "maybe".

Again, I'd like to thank everyone who's reviewed my fic. I hope you enjoyed Chapter 3! ~Sandoz 


	4. Close Encounters Of The Rogue Kind

**Chapter 4: Close Encounters of the Rogue Kind**

The X-Jet cut through the pitch-black sky, on its way to a small town in Mississippi. Inside the sleek SR-77 sat the X-Men, poised and ready to recruit the young mutant they'd find there.

In the back, the one called Shadowcat sat and idly twirled her finger around her ponytail. It was a nervous habit she had developed when she was a little girl, and she hated feeling so uneasy. She should be excited; after all, this was her first official mission as an X-Man. But something the Professor said troubled her. Apparently this "rogue" was disturbed, and potentially dangerous. The fact that he couldn't determine what exactly her power was didn't calm her fears, either.

Shadowcat took a deep breath. Everything was going to be fine. 

She heard a pained sigh, and glanced at the figure sitting next to her. Avalanche's eyes were squeezed shut, and he looked very uncomfortable. 

"How are you feeling?" she asked, remembering his airsickness.

He opened one eye. "I should be okay. I made sure not to eat anything before takeoff." The rock-tumbler gave her a smile, to show he was all right.

"That's good," she paused. "You ready for this, Avalanche?" It felt weird to call him that to his face.

"Ready as I'll ever be, Shadowcat," he replied with a chuckle.

"What is it?"

"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about your codename."

"You don't like it?" she asked playfully, her eyes daring him to say no.

"It's cool. I like it a lot better than the one the old guy picked out for you. What was it, Surge? Seven Up?"

"Sprite," she giggled, "And you're right, it was pretty bad. There's, like, no way I could live with naming myself after a soft drink." She said the last sentence in her best mock-valley girl voice.

Shadowcat and Avalanche shared a laugh. The young girl smiled as she felt her uneasiness melt away. Avalanche—no, Lance—knew just how to make her fears go away.

Meanwhile, in the cockpit, Cyclops was giving Nightcrawler some instructions on how to fly.

"Easy, easy. There, you got it. You'll be a pilot in no time!" his proud smile faded as Nightcrawler nonchalantly handled the controls with his feet.

Just then, the mutant heard the sound of Shadowcat's musical laughter. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw her having an animated conversation with Avalanche. 

Nightcrawler felt the pangs of longing and jealousy. If only he could get her attention and make her smile like _he _could. Thinking for a moment, he got a great idea. He teleported out of his seat, and reappeared on the nose of the X-Jet. Everyone gasped.

"What's he doing?!" Jean exclaimed.

"Nightcrawler! Get back in here!" Cyclops shouted loudly.

Nightcrawler grinned as all eyes focused on him. He saw Shadowcat's stunned expression, and held up his hand to wave to her. He lost his footing, and a powerful gust of wind hurled him forward. He would have slammed against the front of the cockpit, if not for a quick 'port. Back inside the jet, he still reeled ahead, his body spiraling out of control. Fortunately, he was stopped by something very hard. Murmuring a thankful prayer, he heard a sudden, painful groan. Looking up, he stared into Avalanche's eyes. They were giving him a look fit to kill.

"Kurt!" Shadowcat snapped angrily.

"Ach! I'm sorry!" he cried as he pulled himself out of Avalanche's lap.  The injured boy could only moan as he leaned forward, clutching his sore abdomen.

"Nightcrawler, the X-Jet is no place to be fooling around!" the Professor roared. "Or to assault Lance."

"I said I vas sorry--!"

"God, Kurt! Buy a clue!" Shadowcat snarled, wrapping her arm around Avalanche's shoulder. 

With a dejected sigh, the mutant returned to his seat, his tail between his legs. It was not a good day to be the fuzzy dude.

*** * * * ***

A little over an hour later, Avalanche, Shadowcat, Nightcrawler, and Wolverine were scouring the dark, deserted streets of Caldecott, Mississippi, trying to find the young mutant. The Professor and the others were at the local hospital, in order to make mental contact with the boy the rogue had, as Shadowcat put it, "zapped". 

Wolverine led the team down an alley, sniffing the cool night air. Suddenly, he stopped still. Holding his head high, he took another whiff of the wind. Then, he let out a low growl.

"Vhat is it?" Nightcrawler asked.

"Fear," he answered darkly.

"Fear?" echoed Avalanche.

"Come on, I know where she is!"

The four X-Men were off, Shadowcat and Avalanche struggling to keep up with the much faster Wolverine. He took them to a small housing development, and, running down the street, they saw two women. One was in her thirties, with short hair and sunglasses. She was helping a younger, dark-haired girl to stand. Both their heads shot up as they ran towards them. 

The younger girl shrieked in fear. "That's him! That's the one who attacked me! Run, Irene, run!" She shook her hand free of her companion's, losing one glove in the process. She then darted away from them as fast as she could. The X-Men followed, barely paying Irene a second glance.

"Vait, Wolverine! Stop!" Nightcrawler suddenly cried, teleporting in front of the older mutant. "She seems to be terrified of you, for some reason. Maybe you should leave her alone, and let us handle it--"  
  


"Right, I'm going after her!" Avalanche shouted, bolting in the direction the rogue had gone.

"I'm coming with you!" Shadowcat called after him, hot on his heels.

Nightcrawler sighed as they faded from view. Then, he felt Wolverine's strong hand on his shoulder.

"You better go after the rookies, elf. They'll probably need your help."

Nightcrawler nodded, and in a flash of sulfur and smoke, he was gone.

*** * * * ***

Avalanche's heart pounded in his chest as he followed the rogue. _This is my chance, _he thought, _If I recruit her, I'll make up for this morning and prove to them I'm ready for this._

He saw her jump up and pull herself over a tall wooden fence. _Showtime._

Rogue stumbled over the fence, landing in someone's back yard. Adrenaline-giddy, she leaned over a birdbath, panting hard and trying to catch her breath. She had never run so hard or fast in her life, and she prayed that she had lost her pursuers. 

She heard a short grunt, and spun around as someone new hopped over the fence. Her legs shaking, she backed away slowly. 

"Don't run!" the newcomer said in a voice that wasn't entirely unfriendly. He was tall and lean, with long brown hair and chocolate-colored eyes. He was pretty good looking, but he was also wearing the X insignia. 

"Wh-What do you want?" she demanded. "Why are you attackin' me?!"

Avalanche's eyes widened. He took a cautious step forward. "What? We haven't attacked you. We're the good guys." 

"Yeah, right. Ah know you're a mutant hunter, like the other two!"

Again, he was stunned. What was she talking about? "Why would I hunt my own kind?" he questioned her.

Rogue paused. "You mean you're like me? A-A mutant?"

He shook his head yes.

Meanwhile, Shadowcat had finally tracked them down. Peeking through a hole in the fence, she studied the new mutant. Dressed in a goth get-up with white streaks in her hair, she was trembling uncontrollably. _Nightcrawler was right, she_ is _terrified. She doesn't look tough at all. _

Avalanche continued his attempt to reach Rogue. "My name's Lance. What's yours?"

"A-Ah don't know. Everythin's all mixed-up," she lamented, clutching her head. 

_I'll say_, he thought. "Okay then, what are your powers?"

Rogue didn't have time to answer. She didn't see Shadowcat phase through the fence. The X-Man tackled her from behind, pinning her to the ground. Rogue cried out in surprise and, her body recalling Cody's stint on the varsity wrestling team, threw the girl off easily. She jumped to her feet, only to have Avalanche block her escape.

"Wait!" he yelled. Rogue said nothing. She threw out her bare hand to push him away, inadvertently brushing his cheek.

In one long, agonizing moment, Avalanche's mind was an open book. He could feel someone, _something_, reaching inside him and picking him apart. All of his thoughts, memories, _everything that he was_, were suddenly a part of her. He screamed.

Rogue released him, her body reeling from the shock of so many alien thoughts and sensations running through her brain. Avalanche's eyes rolled back, and his legs fell out from under him. 

Shadowcat groaned, rising from the ground. She heard a powerful scream, and upon realizing whom it belonged to, was filled with fear. Her head shot up, and she saw her teammate lying at Rogue's feet, unconscious. 

"What did you do to him?" she shouted as she stood up, venom in her eyes.

Rogue blinked, squinting her eyes at the mutant coming towards her. Full of Avalanche's memories, she recognized her, and knew that she was _important_ somehow.

"Kitty?" she whispered.

Shadowcat was still charging at her. Rogue snapped out of her trance, and was once again afraid. "Stay away!" she cried, and instinctively threw out her hand, her eyes rolling back. 

The earth below Shadowcat began to rumble. Rogue stomped her foot, and a powerful tremor shot through the ground. Shadowcat gasped as she saw the land below Avalanche's still body begin to break up. She darted towards him, and held onto him tightly. She tried to lift him up just as the tremor split the ground beneath them in two.

Shadowcat squeezed her eyes shut as she fell, still clinging to Avalanche. She would not let him go, no matter what. Too scared to even scream, her nose was suddenly assaulted with the strong scent of sulfur. In a quick flash of brimstone, it was over.

Standing above the gigantic hole in the earth, Rogue looked down into its dark depths. Seeing nothing, she turned on her heels and ran.

*** * * * ***

Everything was hazy. Shadowcat slowly came to her senses, as a voice spoke in her head.

**Are you all right, my child?** 

She opened her eyes, and found herself looking at Xavier's concerned face. Someone—Nightcrawler, she noted—was supporting her, and Xavier and Wolverine were standing nearby. In a voice she could barely identify as her own, she answered, "I'm fine," she then suddenly sat up. "Lance! She did something to Lance!"

"Yes, Shadowcat, we know," said the Professor gravely. She glanced around, and saw Avalanche had been laid carefully on the sidewalk, his arms at his sides.  "Cyclops, Jean, and Storm have gone after her," he added.

"But what did she do? Will he be all right? He isn't--!"

"He is alive, no need to worry. It appears that the rogue has the power to absorb a person's memories and abilities with a mere touch. Fortunately, it seems to be only temporary."

The good news did nothing to comfort her. _This is all my fault, _she thought.  "Will he wake up?"

"Soon, yes." Then, Xavier's eyebrows perked up. Cyclops and Jean were approaching. Her face was troubled, and he was carrying an unconscious Storm in his arms. Wolverine hurried over to help them.

"What happened, Red?" he questioned.

Jean's shoulders slumped. "The girl absorbed Storm's powers, and nearly killed all three of us. We were able to escape, but she got away." The look in Scott and Jean's eyes made it seem as if they both saw it as a personal failure.

"It's all right," Xavier said in his ever-calm tone of voice. "The girl must come willingly, or not at all. And we have other matters to take care of."

At that moment, Avalanche's body began to move. With a shudder, he opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Shadowcat's glowing face.

"Lance! I'm so glad you're all right!" she threw her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. Still a bit groggy, he smiled, taking her in his arms.

"That's enough, you two," Wolverine's harsh voice broke the moment. "We better get going before someone notices all the commotion we've made."

Blushing, the teens parted.

It had definitely been a long day.

* * * * * * * * * *

To Be Continued.

* * * * * * * * * * 

**Author's Notes:** A little short, I know, but better than nothing, right? ;-) 

"The Stuff Of Heroes" was pretty disappointing. I mean, how anticlimactic can you get? And why in the world were the New Mutants with Xavier in the Institute ruins? Aren't they with the Morlocks? Hello? But there was a two-second shot of Gambit and Quicksilver, so that made everything okay. : D

Some of my reviewers mentioned Bobby having a thing for Kitty. All I can say is this: Bobby better not make a move on Lance's girl, unless he wants to get turned into ice cubes by a very peeved fanfiction author. The same thing goes for Colossus—you want to be made into scrap metal, Piotr? Huh? Do ya? Yeah, I thought not! _

Lots of thanks go to my reviewers. Reviews=happy author. And a happy author is a productive author! ~Sandoz


	5. Brotherhood Blues

**Chapter 5: Brotherhood Blues**

"'Cause bay-bee, when I heard you for the first time, I knew we were meant to be as ooonnnnnnnneee~!" Kitty bobbed her head up and down as Kylie Minogue filled her ears. She sat on the stone wall by the pool, typing eagerly on her laptop. Enthralled by the music, she didn't realize she had company until a pair of hands covered her eyes.

"Guess who."

"Mornin' Lance," Kitty greeted, removing her headphones.

"What're you up too?" the rugged young mutant asked, sitting down beside her.

"Sending an e-mail to my parents. They totally freak if I don't write every week."

"Ahh," Lance nodded in understanding. "Have you told them about the X-Men?"

"No way. They'd be worried sick, and I doubt they'd let me stay at the Institute anymore." 

"You really think they'd be worried?"

Kitty looked at him curiously. "Of course! Lance, don't tell me you're parents wouldn't be scared if they knew what was really going on."

Lance's face fell and he looked away, unable to gaze into her deep blue eyes. Kitty frowned. Could it be that his parents really _didn't_ care? She thought back to the day they left Northbrook. Her parents hadn't let her go until the very last minute, but Lance had been alone. It occurred to her that she really didn't know anything about his life before the X-Men, even though they had been friends for weeks. But before she could say anything more, Kurt teleported in front of them.

"Ready to go?" the elf asked.

Lance raised a questioning eyebrow.

Shutting off her laptop, Kitty said, "I'm going to school with Kurt today. We're going to listen to the Stone Zephyrs' new CD. Wanna ride with us?"

He shook his head. "Nah, you two go."

Kitty's face bore a disappointed look. "All right. I'll see you at lunch, ok?" She took Kurt's hand, and they 'ported away. 

As the yellow smoke faded, a dejected sigh escaped Lance's lips.

*** * * * ***

"Aren't ze Stone Zephyrs' tight? Zey totally rock!"

Kitty shrugged. "Actually, they're pretty derivative. Hear one of their songs, you've heard them all."

"You just don't know good music vhen you hear it. I'll convert you yet," Kurt pouted as they walked up the steps of Bayville High.

His companion couldn't help but chuckle. Kurt Wagner was one of the most likable guys she had ever met, and she hated to think that she had once stayed away from him because of his unusual looks. It had been over a week since he had saved both her and Lance during the "rogue" incident, and Kitty thought about what Wolverine had said to her as they boarded the X-Jet. 

"You know, half-pint, the elf's never teleported with more than one person before. He risked a lot by saving you two."

It was then that she saw Kurt in a new light.

They stopped by Kitty's locker, and as Kurt was about to leave, she tugged on his jacket. Holding her books close to her chest, she bit her lip. "Um, Kurt?"

"Yeah?"

"I just wanted to say that, like, I'm really glad we've become friends. I'm sorry about how I acted before. It was silly of me."

Grinning, he replied, "Don't vorry about it. It's in ze past, right?"

"Definitely."

He ran his hands through his long hair, and thought a moment. "Kitty, you're friends vith Lance aren't you?"

"Yup."

"Er, don't take zis the vrong vay, but can I ask vhy?"

Scowling, she put her hands on her hips. "What kind of a question is that?"

"How can I say zis--he's a snide, surly jerk. He's tussled vith me, Scott, and even Jean, but ze two of you get along just peachy. I've vondered vhy." 

"I know Lance has a gruff, unfriendly side, but once you get past that he's a really sweet person."

_Lance? Sweet?_ Kurt thought. _Zose two vords do not go together._

"Believe me, at first I didn't think much of him either," Kitty added, thinking regretfully, _I even called him a freak._ "But you should try to get to know him. He might surprise you."

            __

_Yeah, something tells me he's just_ full _of surprises._

*** * * * ***

Lance left the mansion for school pretty late, despite Jean's naggings. He brushed her off, figuring that she was still upset over failing to recruit some mutant who worked at a monster truck show. Two botched recruitments in a row had to have been a blow to the amazing Ms. Grey's pride. By the time he arrived at school the halls were already vacant, so he snuck past the classrooms hoping a teacher wouldn't catch him. Turning down a corner, he thought he was home free until he witnessed an utterly bizarre scene.

Duncan Matthews was sprawled out on the floor, cowering under a huge mass of blubber in overalls. The gigantic, snarling boy had ripped a locker out of the wall was about to crush the jock when Lance intervened.

"Hey!" he shouted, "Stop!"

The new boy stared at Lance stupidly and did what he was told. Duncan scurried away, and his would-be attacker dropped the locker back into place. His rage had completely disappeared, and he looked at Lance like a small child who had been caught doing something bad and knew he was in trouble.

_Did I just save Duncan Matthews?_ Lance wondered in disbelief. _No, I just did the janitor a favor by preventing a big red stain on the floor. And who the hell is this fatso? He looks kinda familiar…_

"What was that about?" the longhaired mutant asked, surprised that the newcomer had actually listened to him.

"He-He made fun of me," was the meek reply.

"Matthews is an idiot. Forget about him. Are you new here?"

"Uh, yeah, yeah I am," he pulled a piece of paper out of a large pocket in his overalls, "I was having trouble finding my first class."

Lance glanced at it, and pointed in the right direction. "Room 103 is just down that hall."

"Wow! Thanks!" Grinning, he held out his hand, "My name's Fred. Fred Dukes."

"Lance Alvers," he returned the handshake, noting the ferocious grip the boy had. "I'm new here myself. See you around," he said casually as he snuck off to class.

"See you," Fred murmured, watching him go. "…Buddy."

*** * * * ***

Later during lunch, Lance stalked up to a soda machine. Searching his pockets, he discovered he was low on change. Shrugging to himself, he put his hand against the cold surface. He closed his eyes and concentrated on sending a small seismic wave through it, and a few moments later, the machine rewarded his efforts with two cans of soda. His satisfied smile vanished as a voice sneered, "What do you think you're doing?"

"What does it look like?"

Jean crossed her arms over her chest. "You used your powers to steal!"

"So what? This crappy school rips us off, anyway."

"That's not the point! What would the Professor say if--!"

"The Professor this, the Professor that," Lance mocked. "Give it a rest, Red," he sneered, walking away.

Jean fumed. _How dare he!_

Lance made his way towards Kitty, who was sitting alone at a table, engrossed in a book. She smiled as he sat down. 

"Soda?" he offered.

"My hero! A girl needs her caffeine, you know." Just then, her eyes caught sight of something over Lance's shoulder. "Omigod! It's him!" she gasped.

"Huh?"

"Look behind you," she pointed a finger at the lunch line, where a very hungry Fred was making the lunch lady pile on as many sloppy joes as his tray could take. "Isn't that humongous guy the mutant Jean and Mr. Logan were scouting out the other day?"

"I thought he looked familiar," Lance remarked.

"Like, that's so weird! First that creepy Rogue girl transfers here, and now _him?_ It can't be a coincidence."

"I think I agree with you," her friend mused.

Meanwhile at another table, Jean was studying Lance and Kitty.

"Is something wrong?" Scott asked, noticing her dark expression.

"I don't think I like the way those two are bonding. He could be a bad influence on her."

"It seems harmless enough to me."

"Well, just now I saw Lance use his powers to steal drinks from the machine. Kitty's a nice kid, and I don't want her to get mixed up in something bad."

Scott leaned back in his seat. "Alvers can be a pain, but he seems genuine about his feelings for her."  
            

"Feelings?" Kurt joined in as he finished off his second sloppy joe. "Zey're just friends!"

"Hmm, maybe. But I think there's more to it than that. I saw the way they hugged after Rogue zapped him."

Jean gave a bemused smirk. "Why Scott Summers, here I thought you were denser than lead when it came to matters of the heart."

Scott blustered. "Well, er, I wouldn't say that!"

Jean's expression changed. "I still don't like it, though," she muttered under her breath.

*** * * * ***

Fred Dukes whistled happily as he took his second tray of sloppy joes back to his seat. He sat down too fast, and the cheap plastic chair broke right under him. Landing firmly on his behind, he lost his grip on the tray and it went flying in the direction of Duncan Matthews and his buddies. The group of football players went ballistic as they were bombarded with greasy sloppy joes, and they focused their anger at Fred.

"Bad move, fat ass," Duncan snarled, rolling up the sleeves of his prize letter jacket.

"Get him!" one of his friends shouted. They charged at the gigantic boy, fury in their eyes. Fred got to his feet, and heaved the other tray of sloppy joes at them. Direct hit. Fred took a step back, accidentily slipping on a fallen sloppy joe.

"Whoa! Whoooaaa!" he cried as he fell squarely on his butt for the second time. Nearly everyone in the cafeteria was watching the fight unfold, and they burst out into uproarious laughter.

Hurt and dumbfounded, Fred snarled as the laughter set in. "Don't laugh at me!" he shouted, flipping over another table and sending more food flying.

Somewhere in the ruckus someone yelled, "Food fight!" and the cafeteria was consumed by chaos. Kurt grabbed onto Scott and Jean and they teleported out of the melee. Lance and Kitty huddled together, stunned by what was going on.   
            

"He's going crazy!" Kitty cried as Fred swung a chair over his head. "Let's get out of here!"

"No," Lance furrowed his brow. "I have to stop him before he does something stupid!"

Kitty smiled softly at him, and squeezed his hand. "Good luck," she said, phasing through the floor. 

Lance darted through the bevy of people, trying to reach Fred. They boy was in a blind rage, and threw a chair to the ground, shattering it instantly.

"Fred! Snap out of it!" he yelled. Oblivious to the sound of his voice, Fred picked up another chair, and threw it with a gut-wrenching howl. The rock-tumbler recoiled as the chair landed inches away from him.

Fred collapsed, his head hanging low. Lance heard the muffled sound of him heaving and sobbing. Sobbing? He was crying? 

Struck by pity, Lance crouched down beside his fellow mutant. They were the only ones left in the cafeteria, as everyone else had fled.

"Are you all right?" he asked. _Real smart, Alvers, of course he's not all right!_

"They laughed at me! They shouldn't have laughed at me!"

"You're right, they shouldn't have. But blowing up like that ain't how to make a good impression on the first day of school."

"I'm sorry," Fred sniffled, collecting himself. "It's just that when people make fun of me, I kinda snap inside, you know?'

"Yeah, I know."

"How could you? You're not like me," he lamented, looking down at his oversized hands.

"That's where you're wrong. I'm a mutant."

Fred's head shot up. "No foolin'? You have powers too?"

"Watch, and be amazed." Lance rose to his feet, extending both his hands. The ground began to rumble, and several tables fell over at his small tremor.

Fred was stunned. "Holy cow! You could do some serious damage with powers like that!" he exclaimed gleefully.

Lance frowned. "Yeah, I could, but I shouldn't. The Institute is about getting control of our powers, and helping people with them."

"What?"

"The Xavier Institute. I live there, with other mutants. You could get serious training there, if you want."

"I'll think about it. That is, if it's not too much trouble."

"Nah. I'll write you a recommendation," Lance chuckled.

"What is going on here?!" a new voice cried vehemently. Lance gulped as Principal Darkholme stormed in, giving them a look fit to kill.

"Nuthin', Ms. Darkholme," Fred mumbled sheepishly. "We were just talkin'."

"Get to class! Both of you!" she sneered. "And Mr. Dukes, I expect to see you in my office after school."

The two boys wasted no time in leaving. Raven folded her arms over her chest, and looked all around her. Tables were turned over, chairs were broken beyond repair, and sloppy joes were everywhere.

Her hands balled up into fists. "Not again!" she hissed.

*** * * * ***

Lance's shoulders slumped as he took his time getting to his locker. Once there, he pulled out his Algebra book, and his eyes passed upon his dim reflection in the metallic interior.

_//You could do a lot of damage with powers like that!//_

_//Yeah, I could, but I shouldn't.//_

"I'm such a hypocrite," Lance cursed himself, slamming the locker shut.

*** * * * ***

Fred Dukes sat nervously in front of Ms. Darkholme's desk. Crossing her legs, the woman smiled like the cat that ate the canary.

"So, Mr. Dukes, you've become acquainted with Lance Alvers?"

"Uh, yeah, he's pretty nice. He doesn't make fun of me like the others."

"That's good to hear. But I'm sure you know that he's a member of Xavier's group. Our enemy."

Fred squirmed.

Raven leaned forward, a dark gleam in her eye. "But what if that weren't the case? What if he were to convert to our side? You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"Well, sure," Fred answered.

Reaching into her desk, Ms. Darkholme pulled out a small folded piece of paper and slipped it into the boy's hand.

"Give him this. Tell him to meet you at the time and place specified within. I'll take care of the rest."

Fred looked at the paper, and then back at his principal and leader. "You won't hurt him, will you? He's my friend."

Raven laughed. "Oh no, no, no, my dear boy. I won't hurt him." Rising from her chair, she placed a strong hand on his shoulder. "I'm merely going to show him the light."

*** * * * ***

A short while later, Lance sauntered over to his battered old jeep, twirling his keys around his finger. Unlocking it, he glanced at the rearview mirror and saw Fred's sullen face staring at him.

"What's up, Fred?" he asked, a little surprised.

The bulky mutant looked nervous, and awkwardly smoothed back his mohawk. "I just wanted to, uh, thank you for helping me calm down earlier. R-Really."

"Don't mention it."

"I thought about what you said, you know, about that place for mutants, and I'd like to check it out," before Lance could say anything Fred blurted out, "But first, I really need you to meet me at this place. It's important." He stuffed the note in Lance's gloved hand and hurried away.

The X-Man stared at the piece of paper, unsure what to make of it.

"What was that about?" Kitty asked as she slipped into the seat next to him. She had witnessed Fred's hasty getaway, and was curious.

"I have no idea," Lance stuffed the note in his pocket, promptly forgetting about it. "Let's go home."

*** * * * ***

In the seedy outskirts of Bayville, located between a landfill and an old tire yard, lay an abandoned warehouse. Unused for over five years, it was a musty, rat-infested dump, yet there was something in its atmosphere that appealed to Mystique. The shape-shifter had bought the warehouse under an alias, and had used it several times to store goods "acquired" during her jaunts of espionage. Once again, she had a use for it.

"You're certain he'll come?" Mystique inquired, talking to Fred via cell phone. "Good. Suit up and meet us here as soon as possible." She hung up without a farewell.

Toad hopped throughout the warehouse, dining on any cockroach he could find. "Man, this place is tops!" he declared, crunching on another multi-legged morsel.

Mystique's upper-lip curled in disgust. "This is no time to be eating, Toad. The Blob will be here soon, and then we face Alvers."

"So, what exactly are we gonna do? Try to recruit him or somethin'?" 

"We are not going to _try_, we _are_ going to recruit him."

"Whatever you say, Boss-lady. Uh, why are we after him again?"

"That's not for you to know!" she hissed.

Toad huffed. _I get no respect_, he thought glumly. "So why ain't Dracula's Daughter here?"

"_Rogue_ is still coping with her powers, and her new life in Bayville. She'd be no good to us in battle now." Was that a hint of compassion he heard in her voice? No, it couldn't be. "It doesn't matter. The three of us are more than enough to handle one boy."

*** * * * ***

Lance's jeep pulled up to the vacant lot in front of the warehouse. Casting a scrupulous eye on the deserted building, he reread the address on Fred's note.

_This can't be right_, the mutant thought, _why would he want me to meet him here?_

Lance had snuck out of the mansion with ease, as everyone else at the Institute was observing an outdoor exercise between Shadowcat and Nightcrawler. He thought meeting Fred wouldn't be a big deal; after all, he had already persuaded him to come to the Institute. But now he had second thoughts.

"Fred wanted me to come alone to an abandoned warehouse in the middle of nowhere," he muttered aloud, "This practically screams 'trap'. Ugh, what am I saying? This is _Fred_, for Christ's sake."

Shaking off his doubts, he marched towards the entrance. It had been boarded up, but someone very strong had ripped off the wooden planks and smashed them into splinters. Lance could easily guess whose handiwork it was.

He stepped into the dark warehouse. The only light in the place came from a broken window, and Lance could hear someone moving around in the shadows.

"Fred?" Lance called.

"No," Mystique purred, stepping into the light, "I'm not."

*** * * * ***

Toad and Blob leaned against the half-rotten door in another room, eavesdropping. 

"Can you hear what they're saying?" Blob whispered.

"No! Pipe down, yo!" Toad rasped. "We gotta be ready to make our entrance."

*** * * * ***

Lance backed away from the figure. She was tall and shapely, with long crimson hair and scaly blue skin. Lance was unnerved to see tiny skulls adorning her belt.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

Mystique folded her arms over her chest. "A mutant, like yourself."

"I guessed that much."

"I know who you are, Lance Alvers, and I know who you're working for. I'm here to give you a warning: do not trust Xavier. He has kept secrets from you. Dangerous secrets. To remain in his fold is to bring disaster. I'm offering you a way out—join me, and be one of my Brotherhood."

Lance scoffed. "I'm not going anywhere with you, lady." Not wanting to stay there any longer, he turned on his heels towards the exit.

Mystique narrowed her eyes. "Toad! Blob! Stop him!"

The two boys heard their cue, and burst out of their hiding place. Lance bolted, only to have Toad's long, green tongue wrap around his ankles. Losing his balance, the X-Man fell to the ground and Toad dragged him back towards Mystique. 

Blob stepped forward. "Sorry about this, buddy," he said sadly.

"Fuck you," Lance gritted his teeth and threw out one hand. Aiming it at the ceiling, he sent seismic waves through the decrepit building, searching for a weak spot. The roof above Blob's head caved in, and huge chunks of brick and concrete fell at the burly mutant. Holding his hands above his head, the Blob let out a guttural cry and caught the broken slabs. "Is that all you got?" he laughed mockingly.

_Shit, I walked right into this!_ _How can I get out of here?_ Then, it occurred to him. _The Professor! _

*** * * * ***

Kitty giggled as she phased through Kurt, deftly catching the football. The training exercises were over, and the two friends were playing a lighthearted game of catch football while Xavier and Logan sat by the pool.

"Ahh, to be young again," the Professor smiled, watching Kurt chase after Kitty. 

"I'll take old age and wisdom any day," Logan said wryly as Kurt snatched the football, blowing a raspberry.

_Professor Xavier!_

The Professor reeled forward and clutched his head as Lance cried out his name.

**Lance? Lance, what is it?**

_I'm in trouble. Big Trouble._

** Where are you?!**

_I'm at an abandoned warehouse down by Red Dale. Todd and Fred attacked me, and there's some creepy blue lady here too! I'm trapped--!_ Lance's thoughts were suddenly cut off.

By that time the three mutants had assembled around Xavier, all looking worried.

"What happened, Charles?" Logan questioned, hovering nearby.

"Are you, like, okay?" a concerned Kitty asked.

"I am fine," Xavier replied, "But Lance isn't."

Kitty went white, and she dropped the football. "What?"

"He's been attacked by Todd Tolensky and Fred Dukes. If we're to help him, we must act quickly. Kurt, go find Scott and Jean. Kitty, suit up. Logan, I want you to go on ahead and scout things out. He told me he's trapped in a warehouse near Red Dale."  
  


Logan scowled. "I know where that rat-hole is. Don't worry, I'll find Rocky." With that, the gruff mutant was off. 

Kurt teleported away, and Kitty ran inside the mansion. _Please God_, she prayed, _let him be all right._

*** * * * ***

Blob held Lance by the throat, though he was careful not to hurt him. The mutant had already taken a fierce beating, though.

"What are we gonna do with him?" Blob asked his leader.

"Take him with us, of course. Even if he won't come willingly, there is knowledge in his mind I can unlock later."

Blob looked uncomfortable and bit his fat lip. "I dunno, Mystique. I think we've hurt him enough."

"He's not as hurt as _you_ will be if you don't stop questioning me!" she snarled. "Now, let's get out of here before his little friends get wise of us."

"Too late!" a voice cried, and a red optic blast tore through the wall, revealing six costumed figures. Cyclops stepped through the rubble, clenching his fists. "Let him go, or things get ugly."

"No!" Mystique cursed, turning to her two lackeys. "Take care of them!"

"I dunno 'bout that," Toad said fearfully. "They kinda outnumber us two to one."

Blob set Lance down. "Come on, we better get outta here!"

"I told you already, I'm not going anywhere with you!" He made a move to run to his teammates, but Blob grabbed him by the arms, holding him still.

"Fred, you're seriously invading my personal space," Lance hissed, making the ground rumble. "Back off!"

"No! You're _my_ friend, and I'm not letting you go!"

"Leave me alone, you stupid tub of lard!"

Blob gasped. The angry words sinking in, his face twisted in rage. "You—you liar! You're not my friend; you're just like the others! _I-I hate you!"_ With those words, he swung Lance like a rag doll and threw him across the warehouse. He would have impacted against the wall, if not for Shadowcat quickly phasing through it and catching him.

"Kitty?" Lance murmured, his voice weak.

"Shhh, I got you," she whispered gently.

Mystique and Toad had already made their getaway, so Blob was the last opponent facing the X-Men. Standing tall, he stared at them all like insects. "I'll take you all on! I'm the Blob!" he roared.

"No, you're garbage," Jean replied coolly, using her telekinesis to levitate him off the ground and hurl him out of the hole in the warehouse roof. The newest member of the Brotherhood of Mutants landed headfirst in the landfill, and cried bitter tears.

*** * * * ***

Lance opened his eyes, and found himself lying down in the Institute's clinic. He still felt the many stings of the injuries inflicted by the Brotherhood, but the feeling of Kitty's warm hand on his alleviated his pain. He gazed into her soft blue eyes and smiled.

"Feeling any better?" she asked.

"I do now," he answered.

Kitty's cheeks turned pink. "Tell me, what were you doing there, anyway?"

"Yes, Lance, do tell us." Xavier said, wheeling into the room.

The rock-tumbler gulped. He had hoped to avoid this conversation. "I don't know what to say, Professor. Fred told me to meet him there. I knew the whole setup smelled, but I went in anyway. I shouldn't have underestimated him."

"It's all right. From what Kitty told me, you reached out to Blob and tried to befriend him."

Lance nodded. "He said he would come to the Institute. I thought I was doing something good, you know?" His voice was troubled.

"I appreciate your efforts, Lance. Truly, I do. But sadly, there are some mutants that are beyond even _my_ reach."  
  


"Like the Brotherhood?"

Xavier's eyes widened. "So, you know about them?"

"They're the ones who attacked me, remember?"

"Indeed. I'm sorry Lance, but I didn't think you were ready to know about them. I see that was a mistake."  
  


"Secrets can be dangerous," Lance remarked, echoing Mystique's earlier words.

"Yeah, Professor," Kitty spoke up, hands on her hips. "I think you have some explaining to do."

* * * * * * * * * *

To Be Continued.

* * * * * * * * * * 

Author's Notes: Well, Mainstream was definitely interesting. On one hand, it was a great episode. Kurt's fears were very realistic, Jean was actually sympathetic, Kelly showed us what he's really made of, Amanda's quickly becoming one of my favorite characters, and Logan got to fight someone who wasn't Sabertooth. But there were some things I hated, namely the B'Hood's portrayal, and Lance and Kitty's breakup. The B'Hood boys seem to have regressed back into their Season 1 selves, picking fights for no reason and being all-around jerks (They teamed up with Duncan? WTF?!). Even the rock puns are back! (Nooooo!) Lance and Kitty's breakup killed me. First of all, Kitty should know what kind of a person Lance really is, after everything he's done for her (The cut Growing Pains scene and Joyride, anyone?). And Lance should know that Kitty has more depth than to dismiss him as "beneath" her. But whenever there's angst, the romance can't be over. In my eyes these two are meant to be together, and they better reconcile. I'm praying that the writers know a good thing when they see it, and didn't make them part just so they could stick Kitty with Piotr. That would suck.

The Stuff of Villains was pretty cool. It was Gambit-riffic. Kitty's line of "Can't Lance stay out of trouble for one day?" was pretty cute. Too bad that was the only Lance/Kitty content of the episode. ::sigh:: Oh, and Lance played guitar! Be still, my heart. ^_^

But back to the fic, I've decided that there will be some Anti-Xavier in this, though he will _not_ be the main villain of the story. Also, be ready for some great Lance/Kitty goodness next chapter, and look out for the Brotherhood's new mystery member in Chapter 7!

Now, to answer questions I missed last time:

WaterFaerie 72: Yup, Lance is going to stay at the Institute. He's definitely an X-Man.

Diamond Unicorn: I will be going into other romantic relationships besides Lance and Kitty's. Hint: one will involve a certain X-Man, and a certain mystery member of the Brotherhood. ^_~

Much love goes to my readers. Hope you enjoyed Chapter 5! ~Sandoz


	6. Connections

**Chapter 6: Connections**

Kitty Pryde woke up screaming.

It had been a terrible nightmare, second only to the one she had the night her powers emerged. The girl began to shiver and wrapped her arms around herself, the images from the dream haunting her thoughts. It was a stormy night in Bayville, and lightening struck a tree outside her window. That, along with the crackling thunder, frightened her all the more. 

When she was a child, Kitty would curl in bed with her parents after a nightmare. Their warm presence eased her fears, and she felt safe with them. Kitty yearned for that safety, and without really thinking about what she was doing, got out of bed and phased through the wall. She silently passed through the bathroom and hall closet, and didn't stop until she reached her destination.

Lance slept soundly in bed, snoring softly. Kitty crept over to his bedside and gently nudged his arm. She whispered his name.

"Unngh," the boy groaned, his eyes fluttering open. Half awake, he squinted in the darkness, barely making out the feminine shape in front of him. He groped blindly for the lamp on his nightstand, and turned it on. 

"K-Kitty?" Lance said groggily as her face was illuminated. "Wha 're you doing?"

Clutching her favorite stuffed animal to her breast, the young mutant sat next to him in the bed, unable to meet his questioning gaze. "I'm sorry I woke you up," she said apologetically. "But can I please spend the night with you?"

_That_ woke him up. He sat upright, his eyes as wide as saucers. "What?!" This had to be a dream. A wonderful, glorious dream. Wait, what was he thinking? 

"Oh no, I didn't mean it like that!" she cried, blushing in embarrassment. "I had a nightmare, and I really don't want to be alone right now."

"Oh." He leaned back in bed, letting out a small sigh of relief. "A nightmare, huh? Do you want to talk about it?"

She nodded. Taking a deep breath, she told the story. "It started out in the Danger Room. All of us were training together, and I phased through the last obstacle, winning the session. Everyone was cheering for me when suddenly I began to phase through the ground. I-I couldn't stop…I screamed for help, and the whole team tried to grab onto to me to pull me back up, but their hands just went right through me," she paused, swallowing hard. "I kept screaming and screaming because I couldn't make myself solid again. While the team stared in horror, you kept trying to hold onto me. I couldn't bear to look in your eyes; it was so painful. I phased through the ground, and it felt like I would be phasing forever, until I phased through the whole _earth_," she stopped as tears stung her eyes.

Lance blinked. "Whoa, that does sound pretty scary."

"It felt so real," she whispered.

"But it was only a dream," he said soothingly. He then reached out and took her hands in his. "You're okay."

She gave him a weak smile. "Did I ever tell you how my powers manifested?"  
  


"No."

"Well, it happened the night before we first met. It started with a nightmare—I was falling, and woke up in the basement. My parents thought I was sleepwalking, until they noticed the blanket stuck halfway through the ceiling."

Lance chuckled. "Talk about a wakeup call."

Kitty's soft smile vanished. "That nightmare's always stayed with me. I've gotten so much control over my powers here, but I'm still afraid one day I'm just going to disappear." 

Lance heard the anguish in her voice, and saw the way her body shivered. Clad in her oversized pink pajamas, she looked small, fragile, and unbelievably beautiful.

"Are you cold?" His voice was barely above a whisper.

She shook her head yes. 

Lance moved over a little. "Here, you can lie next to me." 

Kitty curled up beside him, resting her head in the crook of his arm. She was now painfully aware that he was only wearing his boxers and a white wife-beater, which did nothing to hide his lean muscles. She tried not to blush as Lance pulled his blanket up to their waists. 

"There. Is that better?"

"Yeah. Much better." It was the truth.

As wonderful as it felt to have her so close to him, Lance wondered if they were doing something wrong. While he'd never do anything to hurt her or take advantage of her, he could guess that a girl sharing a bed with a guy, however innocent it may be, was not allowed in the mansion. But wrong or no, he wasn't going to send her away.

The two young mutants smiled at each other. Looking down, Lance poked the stuffed critter in Kitty's arms. "Who's this?" he asked lightheartedly.

Kitty held up a very well loved stuffed dragon. "Lockheed. He's been with me since I was seven."

"Pleased to meet you," Lance bowed his head, shaking Lockheed's stuffed talon. Kitty couldn't help but giggle. He was such a sweetheart. 

"You're my best friend, Lance." 

A serene smile played upon the boy's lips. "And you're my _only_ friend, Kitty."

"Oh, don't say that."

"It's true. You're all I have here."

"But you must have had friends in Northbrook," she insisted.

"Who, Griff and Pete? Nah, I'm sure they're still celebrating my departure."

"Why?"

Lance shrugged. "It's a long story."

"I'm not going anywhere," Kitty remarked, snuggling a little closer. "And anyway, I've been wondering. We've been friends for a while, and there's so little I know about you."

"What _do_ you want to know?"

"Hmm. Tell me about when you found out you were a mutant."

"Okay," Lance lay back, settling in for the story. "I must have been fourteen or so. I was still at the orphanage then--"

Kitty's eyes widened. "Orphanage?"

"Well, they called it that, even though most of the kids' parents were still alive. Some had been abandoned, and some had been taken from their folks by the state. I fell into the latter category."

"Oh!" Kitty covered her mouth, realizing she had touched upon a sensitive subject. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it; you couldn't have known. But anyway, life there was tough. It was overcrowded, and they stuffed a lot of us kids together in one room. A bunch had mental problems. The social workers there were pretty harsh to us, and thought we were all worthless punks. Living there for years was enough to drive a guy practically insane, Kitty. The anger and the frustration would just build up in me, until I couldn't take it anymore. One day I just ran outside and started screaming…and the earth began to move."

Kitty was silent, transfixed by the intensity in Lance's eyes. 

"At first, I was freaked out. Chicago ain't exactly known for its earthquakes, you know? The same thing happened a couple more times, but I didn't figure out that it was _me_ doing it until I got in a fight with a boy who was a lot bigger and nastier than me. He was really out for blood, and I was afraid I was going to die. He threw me against a wall and was charging at me…when the roof fell on his head."

As Kitty gasped, Lance continued. "He survived, but took a lot of damage. Somehow, I knew I was responsible for it. I wanted him to stay away from me, and the ground reacted. It _listened_ to me. As I grew, so did my power, and I gained more control over it."

"So, what happened after that?"

"When I was sixteen I left the orphanage for good, and by then I was in Northbrook. Pete and Griff had been my only friends, and we stayed together even after being shipped off to different foster homes. I revealed my power to them, thinking they'd stick by me. We had gone through so much already, I thought nothing could ruin our friendship. But I was wrong. Suddenly there was a wall between us—I don't know how else to describe it. I was different, and they were afraid of me. At first I was crushed, but then I started to _enjoy_ being feared."

Kitty gave him an inquiring look. Biting his lip, Lance ran his hands through his hair. "Please don't think bad about me. You've got to understand, Kitty—life had kicked me down so many times, it felt great to be on top for once. But now, looking back on it, I'm not proud of what I did."

"Which was what?" 

"Stealing, mostly. I'd cause the distraction, while Pete and Griff made off with the loot."

"I thought they weren't your friends anymore."

"They weren't. They just went along with my plans because it was quick cash, and they were too scared of what I might do to them to walk away. It was a real nice operation we had going on," he spat with self-disdain. Thinking about old times reminded him of why he had asked Kitty to meet him at the offices that fateful day. What would have happened if Riley and her gang hadn't attacked her? Would he have really taken advantage of her mutant ability? Lance didn't want to know.

Meanwhile, Kitty digested this new information. Before they ever met, she had seen him around Northbrook High School, and the words "trouble" and "bad news" were always associated with him. It was a very different Lance from the one she had always known. Now he had shed light on his darker days, and had admitted to being a thief, among other things. But, amazingly enough, her opinion of him did not change. He was still _her_ Lance, who was her best friend, and so much more.

*** * * * ***

The blue elf named Kurt yawned as he exited the bathroom. He had felt the need to relieve himself in the early hours of the morning, and was sleepily returning to his room when he heard a peculiar sound. At first he shrugged it off, only to hear it a few moments later. It was the sound of a girl giggling. The feminine voice didn't take long to register as Kitty's.

_Veird, I thought her room vas down ze other hall,_ Kurt thought absent-mindedly. _Hold on a sec, it_ is _down ze other hall!_ His eyes flew to the door of the room that housed her laughter, upon which a crudely drawn sign read: _Lance's Room. All trespassers will be rocked!_

*** * * * ***

The first rays of morning sunlight peeked through the curtains of Lance's room, blessing Kitty's face. Her eyes slowly opened and she glanced around, wondering who had ransacked her room while she slept. Then she felt the warm body sleeping next to her and woke up fully.

"Oh no," she whispered fearfully. She looked at Lance's alarm clock, which read 6: 02. Thankfully, it was a little under a half hour before the Professor's wakeup call, so in all likelihood she hadn't been found missing from her room. Letting out a huge sigh of relief, she gazed down at sleeping Lance.

He was handsome; there was no denying that. But when he slept, the wall he had placed between himself and others was down, making him all the more lovely. He wasn't gruff, or snide, or unfriendly. He was simply Lance. Kitty knew he had shown her a side of himself no one else had ever seen, and it made her feel special.

Brushing a stray lick of hair from his eyes, she stirred him out of his slumber. He grasped her hand before she could take it away. "Goin' so soon?" he asked with a sleepy smile.

"Yeah. I better leave before everyone wakes up. Thanks."

"For what?"

"Being you," she replied, kissing him quickly on the forehead. Then, before the act could register, she phased through the wall, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

*** * * * ***

Scott was dreaming of a beach in Hawaii, where he partied with the likes of Jean, Paul, a boy from his World History class, Carson Daly, and Luke Skywalker. Carmen Electra had just sat down next to him and was about to share her theory on quantum physics in relation to cherry poptarts when his alarm went off.

With a groan, Scott shut if off, the dream completely forgotten. He pulled himself out of bed, and was startled when Kurt suddenly teleported in front of him.

"God, don't scare me like that!" the boy cried.

"Sorry, mien fruend," he said sheepishly. "I need to talk to you about something."

Sighing, Scott fell back down on the bed. "Okay, shoot."

Kurt twiddled with his fingers, unsure of what to say. "Vell, I, er, last night I vent to ze bathroom."

"Uh-huh," Scott nodded, wondering what this was leading to.

"I passed by Lance's room, and--jeez how can I say zis--I heard Kitty's voice."

"Excuse me?"

"I heard Kitty in Lance's room in ze middle of ze night! And it, ugh, sounded like zey vere having fun together, if you know vhat I mean!" Kurt spit it all out, the words running together.

Scott blinked. "You're telling me Kitty and Lance slept together?"

"Yes!" He nodded furiously.

The cycloptic mutant lowered his head, rubbing his temple. "Kurt, this could be serious. Are you absolutely sure you didn't dream it or imagine it?"

"Scott, look at me," the fuzzy one pleaded, "I know vhat I heard. I don't vant it to be true either, but I know vhat I heard!"

Scott's expression darkened. He rose from the bed, his hands balled into fists. "Well then, let's get to the bottom of this."

*** * * * ***

After Kitty's departure, Lance couldn't manage to go back to sleep. Rising from the warm comfort of his bed, he decided to get dressed and eat breakfast before the morning rush. He had just zipped up his favorite pair of jeans when there was a knock on his door.

"Who is it?"

"It's Scott," a serious voice replied. "Open the door, please."

Rolling his eyes, Lance marched to the door, opening it up just a crack. "Can I help you, Summers?" 

He could feel Scott glaring at him behind his ruby-red shades. "I need to talk to you about last night."

"What of it?"

"Don't play dumb!" Kurt cried vehemently, pushing Scott to the side. "Kitty spent ze night vith you, didn't she?"

"You're full of it. I was alone all night," said Lance firmly. "See for yourself." He opened his door all the way, revealing his empty room.

Scott took a deep breath. "All right, I think we should discuss this with the Professor." Before he could continue, Kurt noticed something at the foot of Lance's bed. He stormed past Lance, picking it up and holding it high.

"Zen vhat's zis?" he demanded, waving poor little Lockheed in front of him. "Zis is Kitty's stuffed animal. Tell us how it ended up in _your_ room!"

"She gave it to me," Lance replied nonchalantly, as if a senior boy owning a stuffed toy was an ordinary thing.

"Liar! You took advantage of Kitty, didn't you?!"

Lance pulled back, shocked by the accusation. "What did you just say to me?" 

"I heard you vith her last night! I know she vouldn't have sex vith you unless you played vith her emotions, or forced her to--" Kurt was silenced as Lance's fist connected with his jaw. He fell to the floor, which quaked under Lance's power. Picking himself off the ground, Kurt bamfed in his teammate's face, startling him with a punch of his own. More fists were about to fly when Scott threw himself between them.

"Stop it! _Stop it!"_ he shouted, bringing them back to their senses. "Enough of this!"

**Thank you, Scott, but I shall handle it from here,** Professor Xavier's voice echoed in their minds.

"How did you…?" 

**I did not need to use my telepathy to hear the ruckus those two were making. I expect to see Lance and Kurt in my study in ten minutes.** And with that, the disembodied voice was gone.

"Awww, man!" Kurt slapped his forehead. "Ve're in for it."

Ignoring him, Scott snapped back into Leader Mode. "You heard the Professor. Get dressed and be ready to meet him. And I'd prepare a damn good explanation for my behavior, if I were you two." He said nothing more, and slammed Lance's door shut behind him. Kurt teleported away, barely paying Lance so much as a second glance.

Finally alone, Lance kicked his bed in frustration. The floor beneath his feet shook as it always did when he was angry, and he clenched his fists so tight his knuckles turned white. His gaze fell upon the yellow dragon Kurt had so carelessly dumped on the floor. Picking it up, he stared into its plastic eyes.

"This is all _your_ fault." 

*** * * * ***

A few minutes later, Lance was leaning against the large oak door to Xavier's study, waiting to be called in. The rock-tumbler was used to being in trouble, but he feared Kitty would be dragged into the mess. They had done nothing wrong, and the last thing he wanted was to hurt her reputation, or give Jean and Scott any proof that she shouldn't be around him. He glared at Kurt, who was standing nearby with his shoulders slumped. If he had just minded his own stupid business, neither of them would be in such a dilemma. And how the hell did he know about last night, anyway?

**Come in, Lance,** Xavier said telepathically. The boy obeyed, and the doors shut behind him as soon as he entered. For some reason, he felt as if he was about to face an execution squad.

Xavier sat by the fireplace, a book in his lap. Lance found his expression unreadable.

"Good morning, Mr. Alvers," he said in an official tone. "You know why I've called you here?"

Lance nodded guiltily. 

"Then please tell me about why you exchanged blows with Kurt, and what you did last night. And I heartily suggest you tell me _everything_, as it's unwise to keep things from a telepath."

The teen winced. "Okay. Everything. Here goes. Late last night, I was asleep when Kitty phased into my room. She had a bad nightmare and didn't want to be alone, so I let her stay. We spent the night talking. That was all that happened."

Xavier studied his face for a moment. Lance felt uneasy, wondering if he was scanning his mind. Then, the Professor spoke. "All right. I believe you. Why did you fight with Kurt?"

"He and Scott burst into my room, throwing accusations at me. Kurt said I took advantage of Kitty, and I snapped. Fair enough?" 

"I suppose. Kurt shouldn't have accused you, but you should not have struck him. I will not tolerate fighting between my students."

"Yeah, I hear you. Sorry for all this," Lance replied honestly.

"That will be all. Send in Kurt when you leave," Xavier said in that inscrutable tone of his. Lance took the hint, and walked towards the door. As he touched the brass knob he stopped, a thought lingering in his head. 

"Please don't involve Kitty in this. She didn't mean any harm."

"Very well."

The mutant shut the door, meeting the gaze of the fuzzy elf in front of him. "You're up." He brushed past him without another word. Maybe there was still time to get breakfast.

*** * * * ***

The storm that had shaken Bayville that night had passed, with blue skies and warm weather coming in its wake. It was lunch hour at Bayville High, and the teenage mutants ate outside on the old picnic tables. Kitty and Lance sat with their fellow Xavier students for a change, as she had insisted on socializing with their teammates for a bit. Lance had no desire to sit with Kurt or Scott after the troubles that morning, but it was becoming clear to him that he couldn't refuse her anything.

Scott paid a passing glance at Jean Grey, who was sitting with Duncan Matthews and his football player buddies. He tried not to scowl as the blonde jock put his arm around her shoulder.

"So, we gonna go to Duncan's party tonight?" Evan Daniels, Ororo's bleach-blonde nephew and newest X-Recruit, asked.

"Totally!" Kurt grinned.

"No way," Scott shook his head. "Duncan's a jerk, and besides, that holo-watch won't stop anyone from feeling your fur, Kurt. What if someone gets too close to you?"

"Vhat if, vhat if, vhat if," the elf waved him off. "Take it easy! Nothing's gonna happen!"

"Yeah, Scott, chill! We could all, like, use the recreation after all those drills Mr. Logan has us do." Kitty chimed in, turning to the boy next to her. "Don't _you_ want to go, Lance?"

"Hardly," he scoffed. "For once I agree with Summers; Duncan's an asshole. I want nothing to do with him or that stupid party."

"I think it'll be fun," Kitty pouted.

"No freshmen allowed," Scott said behind his bottled water.

"Duncan is an asshole," she glowered, making Lance chuckle.

At that moment two familiar figures walked along the school courtyard. One was Fred Dukes, the other Pietro Maximoff, Evan's long-time rival and brand new member of the Brotherhood of Mutants. Following Lance's attack in the warehouse Xavier told him and Kitty all about Mystique, a shape-shifting mutant who was wanted for crimes all around the world. For some reason, the blue-skinned baddie was in Bayville, and she was leading an "elite" group of mutants against the X-Men. The Brotherhood had remained quiet in the weeks following Lance's attack and Pietro's recruitment, but it was almost certain they were up to something. Scott gave Rogue a lingering glance as Pietro waltzed over to the lonely gothic beauty. 

"Think of it this way," he continued. "The Brotherhood could try something if we go. We can't risk a confrontation in front of so many people."

"I highly doubt _those_ losers vould ever zink of going to Duncan's party. You really need to lighten up!" Kurt cried.

"Well _you_ need to take things seriously! This isn't a game, Kurt!"

"No, it's a party!" grinned the German mutant, hoping onto the table and dancing a little jig. People began to stare.

Grimacing, Scott grabbed onto Kurt's coat and yanked him back down. "That's exactly what I'm talking about! You act as if life is just one big joke!"

"You are seriously cramping my style!" Kurt snarled. "Zere's a sound I vant you to hear, and it's--!" Kurt's sentence ended in a fiery bamf.

Scott quickly looked around, making sure no one saw his disappearance. Then he sighed, leaning against the table. 

"That went well," Lance muttered.

*** * * * ***

Kurt reappeared in a dusty storage room, where he figured no one would see him. He made an ungraceful landing in a pile of cardboard boxes, damaging his image-inducer.

"Awww, man!" he groaned as he shifted back into his blue form. "This is not my day."

"Who's there?" a voice called. Kurt gasped as Rogue cautiously walked down the steps into the storage room. Looking for an escape, Kurt noticed the "Keep Out" sign on a nearby door, and teleported. 

Inside the place were a variety of machines and computers that looked like they hadn't been used for a very long time. Curious, he stepped closer, accidentily walking through the laser security system and tripping off the alarm. The screens on the antique computers turned on, and a handsome boy with Indian features smiled at him.

"January 22, 1978. Hi there. If you're watching this, you've just set off my alarm, and my lab will self-destruct in 10 seconds. Have a nice day! What's _left _of it, that is."

The boy's image faded, and was replaced with a red countdown. 

"Uh oh," Kurt murmured.

*** * * * ***

Scott strolled down the crowded halls of the high school, telling Jean Grey about the day's troublesome events.

"Lance is always causing problems, so I should have expected something like that from _him_, but not Kurt. They're lucky they only got off with a warning."

"Sounds difficult. But why was Kurt mad at you at lunch?"

"He just had a fit because I said he couldn't go to Duncan's party. It's too risky, you know? And he never takes anything seriously. Sometimes I can't stand it."

Jean nodded sympathetically. "I understand, but is this something really worth damaging your friendship with him over?"

"I guess not."

Suddenly a group of boys burst out of the restroom in a frenzy. "It's a ghost!" one of the shouted. 

"A blue and hairy demon!" another cried.

Scott groaned. "He's really gone too far this time!" He marched into the restroom, calling Kurt's name. A moment later he came out, giving the redhead a perplexed look. 

"He wasn't in there, and I didn't smell any of his smoke."

"I'll contact him and tell him to knock it off," Jean said, slipping into a telepathic trance. She searched the school for him, and, finding nothing, searched the mansion as well. Not a trace of him could be found.

"I-I don't know where he is. It's like he's completely vanished."

Scott turned pale. "I'll find the others, and tell them to look out for him." He dashed down the halls, and ran into Lance and Evan by the drinking fountain.

"What's your deal, Summers?" Lance inquired, looking at Scott's worried face.

"It's Kurt. Something's happened to him, and Jean can't find him anywhere."

"Someone jacked the fuzzy dude?" Evan questioned.

"Maybe. Just be on the lookout for him, okay?" He then bolted back towards his redheaded companion, leaving them alone.

Evan and Lance walked back towards class, mulling over Scott's words.

"That's weird stuff, man," the skateboarding mutant remarked. "I wonder what could have happened to Kurt."

"I have no idea," Lance said, glaring at two people ahead of him, "But I think I know who does."

They stopped in the middle of the hall, facing Fred and Pietro.

"Hiya Daniels. Long time no see," Pietro said derisively. "Who's your little friend?" There was something about his smirk that made Lance want to slap it off his face.

"He's nobody. Just another X-Loser like the others," Fred laughed loudly, thinking he was funny. Lance narrowed his eyes. Whatever feelings of friendship he felt for the ex-sideshow freak after his assault died and went to hell. 

"Cut the crap. What happened to Kurt?"

"Who? The fuzzball? We don't know nuthin' 'bout him," Fred crossed his fat arms over his chest.

"Yeah, we have better things to do than keep track of you goody-goods," Pietro spun around Lance, and whispered mockingly in his ear, "And even if we _did_ do something to him, do you think you could catch us?"

Lance made a move to hit Pietro, but the silver-haired mutant zipped back to Fred's side. "Nice try, but you're way too slow!"

"Let's see you run when you don't have any ground to stand on!" With an angry growl, Lance sent a tremor through the floor. 

Evan got ready to unsheathe some spikes. "Oh yeah, that's what I'm talking about!" he grinned. "Bring it on, Pietro!"

"Stop this right now!" As if on cue, Ms. Darkholme stormed down the hall. "What is the meaning of this?"

Pietro put on his best face. "We have no idea! These Xavier freaks just jumped on us and tried to start a fight!"

"You dirty liar!" Evan yelled.

"Be quiet!" hissed the angry principal. "You two, come with me immediately," she pointed a finger at the pair of X-Men. Fuming, they followed her.

"Toodle ooo!" The young Maximoff waved. "Have fun, now!"

*** * * * ***

"I don't care what influence Xavier has over the school board, I won't let you get away with starting fights in my hallways," Ms. Darkholme snapped, opening the door to her office. She looked inside and gasped. "What in the world!" she exclaimed.

Her office was completely empty. The desk, chairs, and bookshelves had vanished into thin air. Raven stormed out, ignoring the two students and shouting, "Who took my furniture!?" 

Lance and Evan stood in her vacant office, utterly dumbfounded. Hearing a familiar laugh, they looked out the window, only to see Toad giggling as he made Ms. Darkholme's car vanish in a beam of light projected from a strange machine.

"Holy crap!" Evan cried in surprise. "Did you see that?!"

"Yeah. We better call the others. I have an idea what happened to Kurt."

*** * * * ***

"Ahhhh! Lay off, yo!" Toad yelped, hopping away from the X-Men. The five mutants had assembled in a hurry, and were in hot pursuit of their target. Avalanche stomped his foot, sending tremors through the ground. Toad leapt into the air, narrowly avoiding the shockwave. 

"Give us that gizmo, slimeball!" Cyclops fired after him.

"No way!" Toad spit a huge glob of slime at his pursuers. Shadowcat became intangible, and the green blob went through her, sliming a tree.

"You can't catch me, you can't catch me!" Toad teased. Suddenly a set of long, bony spikes landed in front of him, cutting off his escape. Spyke smirked, and Toad gulped.

"Hand it over," Cyclops marched towards him, holding out his hand.

"No way!" the green-faced teen pouted. "I found it first, it's mine!"

"Yah didn't find it," someone spoke up, "Ah did."

Everyone's head turned as Rogue stepped forward. "An' you X-Men are never gonna find out how to use it if you don't let him go."

Scott scowled. "Fine."

*** * * * ***

"It was in here," explained Rogue, leading the X-Men into the old storage room Kurt had stumbled into earlier. "This place was some kind of lab, an' that weird machine was all that was left. It went off, an' the fuzzball disappeared."

"You better be telling the truth," Jean warned.

"Hey, ah got nothin' to hide!" Rogue snapped. "So you better back off!"

"Whoa, it's cool," Cyclops said calmly. "Do you know how it works?" he asked the goth. She shook her head.

"I've been running a diagnostic on this thing," Shadowcat spoke up, holding the gizmo in her hands. "And it looks like it's sending out a pulse wave that disappears into thin air."

"Huh?" 

"I think that the pulse is what hit Kurt, and it sent him into some kind of other dimension."

"All right, so all we have to do is blast this thing." The leader of the X-Men took the machine and placed it on top of one of the fried computers. "Stand back everyone!"

"Not to interrupt or anything, but I could just, like, phase through the thing and short it out," Shadowcat commented.

Cyclops stared at her.

She made a face. "Okay, have it your way. God, what is it with guys and explosions?" she whispered in Avalanche's ear.

"Don't ask me," he shrugged.

Cyclops turned on his visor, but before he could blast the machine Kurt appeared before them, surrounded by a bright light.

"No! Reset--!" he cried, before vanishing once again.

Avalanche was startled. "He's alive!"

"He said 'reset'!" Cyclops said, surprised by the apparition. "That means we shouldn't destroy it." He grabbed the machine and examined the control panel. "Here it is!" he pressed a green button and an intense beam of light fired from the machine, illuminating the whole lab. The X-Men could make out the blurry forms of Kurt and another boy. For some reason they didn't jump through the portal.

"What are you doing?! Come on!" Cyclops shouted. The other boy clung to Kurt, and they teleported away. Before any of the X-Men could make sense of it, they had company.

"So this is where you've been, Rogue," Quicksilver said snidely. "Mystique isn't going to be pleased when she sees what kind of company you keep these days." He zipped down the stairs, Blob and Toad right behind him. "So, are you with us or them?"

Rogue left Cyclops's side, and stood by Quicksilver. "You, of course." She glanced back at Cyclops, and saw the anger and hurt in his face. "Oh, don't look at me like that. You got your friends, an' ah got mine. But this isn't mah fight." 

"Pff. Forget her," Quicksilver sneered as she left. "Let's toast these losers."

"Right on!" cheered Toad. "I want my gizmo back!"

"It stays with us!" Cyclops shouted. "X-Men, keep that portal open!"

Quicksilver led the charge, circling Spyke. "Come and get me, Daniels!" he laughed, lifting the boy off the ground in a twister caused by his super speed.

"This ride ends now!" Spyke cried, firing bone-spikes out of his body. They hit the ground all around his archrival, who in his cocky carelessness, tripped over one and spiraled into a wall.

"Hey Kitty-Cat," Toad teased Shadowcat, "Time for a de-clawing!" he lunged at the girl, who spun around and kicked him sharply. Toad skittered to the ground in a comical display, his arms and legs flailing wildly. Shadowcat stood over him and giggled, infuriating the mutant. Growling, he lunged towards her again, only to fall through her intangible body. Losing his balance, he thought he would collide with the ray-gun gizmo, but bounced off one of Jean Grey's telekinetic shields. The machine was safe, but the portal was growing smaller and smaller.

Meanwhile, Avalanche faced Blob, someone he once considered a friend. The Blob laughed heartily, thinking the smaller mutant was no threat. "You can't fight the Blob! I'm immovable!"

Avalanche's lips twisted into a smirk. "Immovable? Yeah right!" He stomped his foot, and the earth below Blob began to rumble and quake. Curling his fingers into a fist, Avalanche pulled back sharply, and the ground under his opponent erupted and sent him flying to the floor. As Blob and the rest of the Brotherhood regrouped and prepared for a second attack, the shrill sound of a car horn cut through the air. Everyone's eyes turned to the portal, and the convertible that was about to fly out of it.

"Everyone, move!" Avalanche yelled, and he and his teammates bolted out of harm's way.

"Yeeeeehaaaaaaaa!" Forge cried gleefully as he and Kurt rode out of the portal. His joy was cut short as they slammed head-on into Blob. Toad and Quicksilver, who were hiding behind their humongous teammate, stared at him at shock. Blob, for his part, was unaffected. He blinked at the smashed-up car. 

"Whoa. Good thing I'm the Blob," he mused.

"Yeah, for once your powers were useful," Quicksilver remarked. The silver speedster glanced down at the gizmo, which had been crushed to bits under one of the car's tires. "Let's get out of here, guys," he huffed, making a hasty exit. Toad hopped away, and Blob trailed behind them.

The X-Men were still in a state of shock, even after the dust cleared. The team stared at Forge and Kurt, who were completely oblivious to the fight that had gone on around them.

"Whew!" Kurt drew a sharp breath, "Zat vas better zan a roller coaster!"

*** * * * ***

"You're sure you don't want to stay at the Institute?" Scott inquired, handing his card to Forge. It was later on that evening, and the X-Men had already changed back into their civilian guises and heard Forge and Kurt's amazing story.

"Yeah. Thanks for the offer, but I should really check up on my parents," Forge smiled, running a hand through his black hair. "I'm twenty years late for curfew!"

"Well, there's always a place for you there, should you ever reconsider," Scott replied.

"Thanks a lot, man! Check ya later, Kurt!" Forge waved, heading home.

"Zat Forge is one cool dude," the elf said in awe, 'porting into the back of Scott's car.

"So he's some kind of super-genius, huh? He seemed pretty laid-back for a guy who was, like, trapped in another dimension for a couple decades," Kitty commented, sitting atop the hood of Lance's jeep.

"Yeah, man. You know, I'm pretty psyched. Let's go take over Duncan's party!" Evan exclaimed.

"I don't think so," Scott said firmly. "Kurt's holo-watch is broken, remember?" 

"Don't worry, mien fruend!" he chuckled, reaching into his backpack and pulling something out. "I have my spare!"

Scott slapped his forehead. "Okay. Fine. But if someone feels up your fur, I'm not the one to blame."

"Well, have fun you guys," Kitty pouted, crossing her arms over her chest indignantly. "I can't go because I'm a freshman." She felt a strong hand on her shoulder.

"Feel like crashing?" Lance asked mischievously. 

She brightened. "Totally! You want to come too?"

"I guess so. Kicking the Brotherhood's butt got my blood running. Right now I'm up for anything."

"Awesome!" Kitty beamed. "This is gonna be a blast!"

*** * * * ***

Duncan's party was held at his parents' stately summer home, which overlooked the sleepy town. Lance's jeep and Scott's convertible pulled into the crowded lot in front of the house. The house pounded with the bass from a powerful stereo system, and the young mutants could make out the silhouettes of partying teenagers in the windows. Scott, Jean, Evan, and Kurt hurried inside, not wanting to miss out on any fun. Lance lingered outside for a moment, however.

"What's wrong?" Kitty asked.

"I don't know about this," he said, having second thoughts. "I'm just not used to these kind of parties, and for some reason I don't think our gracious host would be thrilled to have me here."

"Forget Duncan. Odds are his house will be so crowded he won't even see you. Let's enjoy ourselves." Kitty was right, of course. Lance felt silly for even worrying about it. 

"All right, I will."

*** * * * ***

Duncan's house was even bigger on the inside. Judging by the throng of people dancing and drinking, the star quarterback had somehow managed to fit in 99% of Bayville High's population. It was hot, it was loud, and it looked like a great party. 

Lance was definitely not in his element. "What do you want to do?" he shouted over the music and chatting teenagers. His companion shrugged. Looking around, her face brightened as she got a great idea. 

"Let's dance!" 

She dragged him by the hand to a space that once might have been a living room. Colorful strobe lights had been rigged to the ceiling, and a DJ was playing a great mix of music. They made their way to the middle of the dance floor, squeezing between the spirited bodies of other dancers.

Kitty fell into the music, her lithe body moving in rhythm with the pounding beats. She was graceful, playful, and (as far as Lance was concerned) very sexy. It came so naturally to her, the boy wondered if she had any idea what kind of effect she had on him.

Kitty smiled at Lance, once again casting her spell on him. Her eyes were so very blue, he felt as if he could get lost in them.

"You're not dancing," she said, shaking him out of his trance.

"Oh! Er, I'm not much of a dancer. I'll wait until something slower plays."

As luck would have it, the next song was a slow dance. As other couples drew closer, Lance and Kitty were at a loss what to do. After an awkward moment they followed their instincts, taking each other's hand and following the music. Heat rising to her cheeks, Kitty leaned against him and rested her head on his shoulder. His arms slowly wrapped around her waist, and her heart ached. There was nothing like the feeling of being in Lance's arms.

The dark-haired mutant tried not to stumble over his feet, or otherwise ruin the moment. Kitty was so close to him he could feel the pounding of her heart, and the scent of her strawberry shampoo intoxicated him. He wanted the dance to go on forever, but like all good things, it ended much too soon. Kitty slid out of his embrace as a faster song blared out of Duncan's huge stereo system, looking into his dark chocolate eyes. He knew what he had to say.

"Kitty, I…"

"Yes?"

"Never mind," Lance muttered, inwardly cursing his cowardice. What was he doing?

Kitty pulled away, trying to hide her disappointment with a smile. "I'll go get us some punch, okay?" At his nod she left the dance floor, her hand lightly brushing his.

Kurt Wagner had stumbled into the room and witnessed the whole dance. After talking to the Professor about the morning's incident, he was sure he had misunderstood things, and there was nothing going on between Lance and Kitty. But he now ached as if an old wound had been reopened. 

_It's just one dance_, he told himself. _It doesn't mean anything_.Even so, he was aware that he was dangerously close to losing his chance at Kitty, so he pursued her after she left Lance.

He caught up with her as she made her way through a crowded hallway. The elf tapped her shoulder to get her attention.

"Hey, Kitty," he grinned, hiding his nervousness. "Having fun?"

"Oh yeah," she nodded. "What about you? You've had a pretty interesting day, are you sure you're up for a big party like this?"

"Ze fuzzy dude can handle anything!" He beat his chest with false bravado, earning a laugh from his crush. _It's now or never_, he thought.

"Say Kitty, I think you're pretty cool," said the elf in what he thought was his smoothest voice.

"Thanks. You're not too bad yourself."

"Vell, you know, zat is to say, The Stone Ciphers are having a concert in Greensburg next veek, and, er, vould you like to go vith me?"

Kitty blinked. She hadn't been expecting that. "You mean on a date?"

"Ja," he nodded, a hopeful glimmer in his eye.

"Oh, Kurt…I-I like you, but…I can't return your feelings," said Kitty regretfully, covering her mouth with her hand.

Kurt was crushed, but he shrugged it off. "Zat's all right. I know how it is," he lied. "But, can I ask you something?"

"Yes."

"Is zhere someone else you like?"

Kitty was silent. There was that one person who was special to her, but his words echoed in her mind.

//Kitty, I…never mind.//

"No," she answered, "There's no one else."

*** * * * ***

Kitty finally found the punch bowl, after Kurt made an awkward exit. She felt a little guilty, and wondered if she had said the right thing. Sometimes, he was a little too sensitive for his own good.

She poured two cups of red punch, hoping it wasn't spiked. It seemed a little pointless, since there was booze all over the house. Apparently Duncan's parents had an extensive liquor cabinet. The girl was about to go find her companion when a rough hand grabbed her arm, causing her to drop the cups.

"Hey, you. You're a freshman, aren't you?" A tall, bulky senior in a Bayville letter jacket rasped, his breath foul with alcohol. Kitty knew who he was: Trey Anderson, linebacker and close friend to Duncan Matthews.

"N-No," she lied, shaken by the look in his eyes.

"No freshmen allowed," Trey sneered, tightening his strong grip on her arm. He then leered at her, thinking dark thoughts. "If you don' want me ta throw you out, you'll do wha' I say."

"I don't think so." She could just phase out of his grasp, but people surrounded them. What if someone saw her use her powers?

Trey's lips curled into a creepy smile. Roughly grabbing her other arm, he opened a door to a nearby closet and threw her inside. Kitty gasped as he stepped in, slamming the door shut behind him. She was trapped.

"Come here," he leered, taking her by the waist and rubbing her body against him. She struggled, but he was incredibly strong. She cried "Help!" only to have his hand cover her mouth.

"You don't wanna do that." Pinning her against the wall, he used his free hand to fondle her chest. Kitty recoiled as he forced himself on her. With a snarl she bit his hand, and remembering Mr. Logan's self-defense class, gave him a well-placed kick between his legs.

Trey's eyed bulged, and he clutched his aching area. Kitty didn't wait for her attacker to recover and phased through the closet door, not caring if anyone saw her. Fear and adrenaline running through her, she hurried through the crowd back to the dance floor, searching for a familiar face. Through the bevy of people she recognized a battered leather jacket, and she grabbed the arm of its owner.

"Hey Kitty," Lance greeted, "Where's the p--" his voice trailed off as he saw Kitty's scared expression.

"Lance, I want to go home," she whispered, her heart pounding.

He nodded, not asking questions. "Sure."

*** * * * ***

The ride back to the Institute was heavy with silence. Lance and Kitty had left quickly, not even bothering to tell Scott and the others they were going.

Lance knew something was wrong. The normally vivacious girl beside him was oddly quiet, and she stared out the window, her legs pulled up to her chest. He swallowed a lump in his throat. What should he say? Should he say anything? She certainly didn't look like she wanted to talk. After many more wordless minutes they were at the Institute. Lance pulled into the garage, and turned off the ignition.

"Kitty, is something wrong?" he finally asked.

Sighing, the girl faced him, her cheeks red and puffy. "Yeah."

At the sight of her tears, Lance put his hands on her shoulders, worried. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. I just had a bad scare."

"What happened?"

"Some brain-dead friend of Duncan's pulled me into a closet and tried to force himself on me. I-I phased away before he could, though," she rubbed her eyes. "It was so scary."

"Oh Jesus," Lance murmured, taking Kitty into a strong embrace. "Thank God you're all right. I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to you."

Kitty sniffled, burying her face in his warm chest. "Why?"

"I care about you, Kitty. And I want to protect you. You're the most important person in my life."

"Lance," she whispered, her heat aching. She felt so much for the boy; there was no way to put it to words. They looked into each other's eyes in a moment that seemed to stretch on forever; ultimately it was cut off by the sound of a car horn.

Scott's convertible was winding down the Institute's road, and the headlights illuminated the driver's worried frown. Something told Lance trouble was coming.

"I think you better go inside," he whispered in her ear. "I'll follow you in a bit."

Kitty nodded and collected herself, exiting the jeep. She was gone by the time the convertible pulled up. Scott hopped out, scowling as always. Kurt took Evan and teleported away, as if avoiding the approaching storm.

"Alvers! We've been looking all over for you!"

"Why?"

"You left the party without telling us. We tried calling you, but your cell phone was turned off. We had no idea where you were!"

"Oh," Lance shrugged. "Sorry."

"Sorry doesn't cut it!" Jean snapped. "You had no right to take Kitty anywhere!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Jean put her hands on her hips, her green eyes full of anger. "Oh, let's see. You've just been to a party where there was drinking, and took Kitty off somewhere without telling any of us or leaving us any means of contacting you. After the stunt you pulled last night, what were we _supposed_ to think?!"

"You listen to me, Red," Lance said in a dangerously calm tone, prodding her with a finger. "You have no goddamn right to talk to me like that. And if you were _half_ as smart as you pretend you are, you'd know that I'm _not_ the one who tried to hurt her."

Jean was shocked, but fell mercifully silent. Scott was furious, however. 

"Alvers!" he shouted after Lance as he stormed off. "Come back here!"

Lance ignored him.

*** * * * ***

Lance sat alone at the edge of the pool, his legs dangling in the water as an icy night breeze caressed his face. He listened to the gentle footsteps approaching, but did not turn his head. Kitty slipped off her sandals and sat beside him, letting her small feet sway in the cool water.

"You said you would be up in a bit," she said softly. "It's been over twenty minutes."

"I'm sorry. I just had to think for a little while."

"More problems with Scott and Jean?"

"Oh yeah. They think I'm some kind of delinquent rapist."

Kitty's eyes went wide. "How could they?"

"I don't know, but I'm through trying. They've already made up their minds about me anyway. I'm just a hood."

"Lance, you know that isn't true," she said firmly.

"Isn't it? It's just like it was back in the orphanage. Hood. Thug. Delinquent. You hear it so many times you start to believe it. I thought I could prove people like them wrong here. I thought I could better myself. But I can't."

His words hung in the air for a few moments, as Kitty thought about her reply. She reached down and held his hand, their fingers intertwining. 

"Lance, you're strong. Stronger than I'll ever be," she gazed out into the depths of the blue water. "I know you can do this. As lame as it sounds, I believe in you. You cannot let Scott, Jean, Duncan, or anyone else make you hate who you are. I won't let you." With that last word she looked up into his dark eyes. Smiling tenderly, he brushed one of her long bangs behind her ear, caressing her cheek.   
            

"Thank you," he whispered.

Their bodies drew closer, and they wrapped their arms around each other. Melting into the embrace, Lance stroked Kitty's hair, and lightly tipped her chin up. Their eyes closed, and their lips brushed oh so delicately. The kiss was light and gentle, but it was enough to send shivers through both their bodies. Kitty's arms encircled Lance's neck and pulled him nearer, deepening the kiss. The two young mutants found comfort and love in each other's lips. 

Neither of them noticed Kurt Wagner watching them from an upstairs window.

* * * * * * * * * * 

To Be Continued.

* * * * * * * * * * 

**Author's Notes:** Whew, that was a long one! This is a pretty major chapter in the story, and so far it's my favorite. I'm sorry for the rock pun on Lance's sign, but hey, I couldn't resist. And we find out more about Lance's past! Yay! I really wish the show would delve into what Lance and Todd's pre-B'Hood lives were like. Heck, even Pietro's backstory has some holes in it. I feel a little bad for all the elf abuse. But it does have a purpose, I swear! ::hugs Kurt:: Anyway, I hope people enjoyed my take on the "just a hood" thing. ^_~

Anyone else excited for the X-Men: Evo Season 2 DVDs? I know I am. I can't wait to finally see the pivotal Lance/Kitty scene that was cut from Growing Pains. Damn censors. ::shakes fist at Kid's WB::

Many thanks go to my readers. Every time I get a Review Alert, I feel all warm and fuzzy. Hope you enjoyed Chapter 6! ~Sandoz


	7. Chemistry

**Chapter 7: Chemistry**

"So…does this mean we're a couple now?" whispered a blushing Kitty Pryde, who stood in front of her bedroom door with the boy she was enamored with.

"Yeah, definitely!" Lance said with a boyish grin. "If that's okay with you," he added, mumbling a bit.

"Of course it is! I really like you, Lance."

"I really like you too," he replied, kissing her softly. It wasn't a deep, powerful kiss like the one they shared by the pool only minutes earlier, but it was still able to send delirious shivers down their spines. The teens parted slowly, their cheeks flushed from the tender moment.

A smile on her lips, Kitty said, "Well, I better go to bed. It's kinda late."

"Sweet dreams."

"Goodnight," she whispered, squeezing his hand one last time before entering her room.

Lance turned to go, letting out a wistful sigh. He hadn't gone very far when he made a startling realization: _We're a couple!_

_"Yes!"_ he cheered, throwing up his arms in a fit of joy. In his excitement his control slipped, and the floor shook underneath him. Stumbling over the unstable ground, he heard a giggle and caught Kitty watching him in amusement. She waved him goodnight as he made a sheepish exit, and closed the door behind her.

Alone in her room, Kitty burst into girlish laughter. She had dreamt about what her first kiss would be like for a long time, but nothing could have prepared her for it. Perhaps it wasn't under the most romantic circumstances, but it was wonderful nonetheless. And the fact that Lance was her first made it all the sweeter.

Humming happily to herself, Kitty began to undress for bed. She pulled off her favorite pink top and brought it to her face. She could still detect the faint, earthy scent of Lance's cologne. The fragrance stirred back memories of their embrace, causing Kitty to blush once more. She plopped down on her fluffy bed, and smiled at her cherished plush dragon.

"You know, Lockheed," she said brightly, "I think tomorrow is going to be simply wonderful."

*** * * **

Indeed, the next morning started on a good note. Kitty left her room, a bounce in her step, and ran into the groggy, bathrobe-clad Evan Daniels.

"Mornin'," he yawned. Taking notice of her happy expression, he asked, "What's up?"

"Lance and I kissed last night! We're going out!" 

"All right, K-girl!" Evan said, high-fiving her. "Congrats!"

Kitty laughed. "Thanks!"

"Yeah, K-girl, congrats," a new voice said. Kitty turned to see Lance smiling at her. She stuck her tongue out at him jokingly.

"See ya, lovebirds," Evan waved on his way to the bathroom.

The young pair walked downstairs for breakfast, hand in hand. Upon entering the posh dining room they met two of the adults of the Institute. Ororo was sipping a cup of coffee while Xavier was absorbed in the morning paper.

"Well, good morning," Ororo greeted with a perceptive smile, looking at their joined hands. "You two seem to be getting along well."

"Yeah, we are. We're a couple," Lance said proudly.

"How lovely!" Ororo replied behind her cup. "I wish you well."

Meanwhile, Scott and Jean were in the kitchen. Scott poured himself a glass of milk, while his companion buttered her toast. Peering into the dining room, Scott mused, "I wonder if Kurt's up yet."

"You haven't seen him?" Jean inquired, taking a quick bite of her breakfast.

"No. Maybe he forgot to set his alarm."

"I wouldn't be surprised if he overslept. The poor kid had a rough time yesterday. I'll go check in on him."

*** * * **

Kurt hadn't forgotten to set his alarm, or overslept. On the contrary, he had hardly slept at all. He lay in bed, still in his rumpled civvies, with his head buried under a pillow.

There was a knock on his door, disturbing his melancholic reverie. "Kurt, are you up?" Jean's voice called from the other side.

"Ja! Go away!" he groaned.

Taken aback by his harsh tone, she turned the knob, only to discover it was locked. Well, that never stopped a telekinetic before.

Kurt winced as his teammate entered. He didn't want to talk to anybody; he just wanted to be left alone.

"Kurt? What's up?" Jean asked as she approached the bed.

"Nothing!" 

Frowning, Jean used her powers to tear the cushion away from him. "Tell me what's wrong."

"How could she?!" Kurt cried, his eyes red and his cheeks wet.

"Who?"

"Kitty!" he said, covering his face. "She said zhere vas no one else, so vhy did she kiss Lance?!"

Jean's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"Last night at the party I asked her out, and she said no. She said zhat zhere vas no one else she liked. But I should have known that vasn't true. Later I saw her kissing _Lance._"

"Oh, dear. You really liked her, didn't you?"

"Ja," he sniffled.

Jean placed a comforting hand on his back. "Well, I wouldn't worry. Some girls are just attracted to the bad boy image. Once the illusion wears off, Kitty will see what a nice guy y--"

"No, it's not like zat!" Kurt snapped, shaking her hand away. "It's different! Zose two are drawn to each other. I could see it, but I didn't vant to believe it. Zhere's nothing I can do."

"Kurt, don't say that. Come down to breakfast and we'll settle everything."

"Nein, I don't vant to face zhem," the elf said sadly. Collecting himself, he sat up, an unreadable look in his yellow eyes. "I…just need to be alone right now." And on that last sentence he vanished, leaving Jean alone to think.

*** * * **

"So, did you find out what was eating Kurt?" Scott asked his redheaded teammate as they drove to school. It was a crisp autumn morning, and an icy wind blew through the teens' hair, sobering them.

"Yeah," she replied, shaking her head sadly. "It's a big mess."

"How so?"

"Apparently he asked Kitty out last night, and she turned him down. Later on he saw Lance and her . . .you know . . .together."

"Harsh. It's pretty painful when the girl you like is interested in someone else," Scott murmured, his voice distant.

"I can't believe Kitty would do that to Kurt," Jean continued as if she hadn't heard a word he said. 

"Well, I seriously doubt she deliberately tried to hurt him. These things are complicated; someone always gets burned."

"In any event, I'm shocked the Professor approved of Lance and Kitty's relationship. If you ask me, it's nothing but trouble," huffed the telepath.

Scott shot her a look as they pulled into the crowded student parking lot. "You seem to have a big grudge against that boy." 

Jean exited the convertible, loudly slamming the door shut. "Have you forgotten what he said to me last night?!" she demanded.

"No," he frowned, "But I've been thinking about it and--"

"And what? He's a bad influence on her."

"God, have you stopped to think that maybe _she'll_ be a _good_ influence on _him_?"

Jean was silent. Taking a deep breath, she said calmly, "Okay, Scott. For a moment, let's forget all about the problems you and I have had with Lance. Now tell me, do you really think it's appropriate for a senior to be dating a freshman?"

"I don't see why not."  
            

"Oh, for heaven's sake!" she rolled her eyes. "What do you think he _wants_?"

*** * * **

"Come on…please?"

"I said no."

"You know how much I need this."

"We shouldn't. It's wrong, and what if we get caught?"

"Don't be a goody-good."

"I don't know…"

"Just let me look at your paper!"

"Mr. Alvers!"

". . .Oh hell . . ."

*** * * **

Lance was the last to leave Chemistry, as he was busy being lectured by a very pissed off teacher. Exiting the classroom, he looked at his test paper in dismay. Written on the front in bold red ink was a big fat "0."

"Crap. I'm done for," he lamented, thinking about what the Professor would do to him when he found out. Scratch that, what would _Logan_ do?

"It's your own fault," Kitty shook her head as she walked up to him. "You shouldn't have tried to cheat."

"Sorry. It's not as if I _planned _to put you on the spot or nuthin'," he said apologetically. "It's hard trying to crack open a book after a two-hour long Danger Room session, y'know?"

"Maybe so, but you should really try…harder…" her voice grew faint as she caught a glimpse of a certain boy over Lance's shoulder. Trey Anderson.

Her first instinct was to run, hide, do _something_ to get out of his line of vision. She resisted that impulse, thinking it silly. There was no way he could do something to her in school, after all. Maybe he didn't remember what had happened between them at the party. He had been pretty drunk. Nevertheless, the dark-haired jock filled her with anxiety.

Lance saw her face go white, which warned him something was up. He glanced behind him at the figure that held her gaze, and recognizing him as a member of Duncan's steroid-loving posse, put two and two together.

"Is that the guy?" he asked her, his voice dangerously low.

"Yeah."

Lance looked the jock over, his eyes burning with a cold hatred. He left Kitty's side, muttering, "I'm going to _rock_ that bastard…!"

"No!" Kitty shouted, grabbing him by his jacket and pulling him back. At his quizzical look, she continued. "I'm _not _defending him. Trust me, I'd _love_ to see him pay for what he tried to do to me, _but not like that_. If we used our powers to hurt every jerk that crosses our path, we'd be no better than the Brotherhood."

Lance drew a deep breath, calming down as her words penetrated. "I guess you're right. But Kitty, if he _ever_ goes after you again, I _won't_ hold back."

Her thoughts troubled, Kitty took her boyfriend's arm and walked with him. "Let's get something to eat," she said, eager to change the topic.

Around a corner Principal Darkholme smirked, having heard the young couple's heated conversation. She strode back to her office with dark plans brewing in her head.

*** * * **

Kurt Wagner walked the streets of Bayville without direction. Tired and forlorn, he had skipped school without a care. Kicking a pebble across an empty sidewalk, he mulled over his situation.

_I'm being stupid. It's not as if I knew her zhat vell. It vas just a stupid crush, nozhing more. So vhy do I feel so awful?_

Growing up in a world where he was feared for his appearance, the boy had always yearned for companionship and that special someone who would look beyond his blue fur and see the real him. He had hoped Kitty would be that person—she was smart, cute, fun to be around, and most importantly, knew his secret. But she had given her heart to Lance, and Kurt was alone. As always.

Passing by a bus stop, the elf got an idea. He had been walking around for hours, and his legs were tired. He was unused to traveling by foot since teleportation was his transport of choice, and thought a ride all over town might take his mind off things. Finding some bus fare in his pocket, he boarded the next ride.

The long, lazy trip helped alleviate the pain in his heart, but it wasn't enough to make things right. Gazing out the window, he paid little attention to the passengers getting on and off, until a figure sat next to him, brushing a little too close for comfort.

"Hey there, Blue Boy," a feminine voice purred.

Kurt's defenses jumped as her words struck a chord. Did this person know his secret?! He spun around to face her.

Taken aback by the urgent look on his face, the girl blinked. "What, is this seat saved for your girlfriend or something?"

Kurt stared at the stranger's stupefied expression. Looking into her azure eyes, he saw no signs of recognition. She didn't know. "Nein. I don't have a girlfriend."

Her lips cracked into a smile. "Ooooh, I get it. You got dumped, huh?"

"Vhat are you talking about?"

"I can see it in your face. Some little hussy went and broke your heart, didn't she?"

Kurt groaned. Looking around the dingy, smelly bus, he saw that he and the girl were the only passengers, save for a little old lady asleep in the front. The girl beside him was about his age, and was very pretty, in a scruffy Courtney Love sort of way. She wore tight blue jeans and a battered bomber jacket that was much too big for her, and a navy baseball cap hid her short blonde hair. On her back was a huge pack that looked like camping gear. Whoever she was, she was starting to get on his nerves. And did she have to sit so close to him?

"Zhat's none of your business," he said curtly.

"All right, I see we got off on the wrong foot. How about a proper introduction?" Smiling, she held out her hand. Kurt shook it, forgetting his fur for a moment. The soft, fuzzy feeling surprised the girl.

"Whoa, guess your mom never warned you about hairy palms!" she laughed.

"Vas?" 

The girl didn't answer, however, as the bus came to a sudden stop. Hopping to her feet, she waved. "This is where I get off. See ya later, Blue!" 

"I hope not," he mumbled as she left. Sighing in relief, he stretched out his limbs, and noticed something was amiss. The pocket where he stashed his money was oddly light.

_She ripped me off!_  "Driver, stop ze bus!"

*** * * **

Lance and Kitty ate lunch outside, seeking shelter from the bright sun under a stately oak tree whose orange and red leaves had not yet begun to fall. Kitty leaned against her boyfriend's shoulder, taking the last bites of an apple.

"So, you're doing that bad in Chemistry?" she inquired.

Lance nodded gravely. "This is my second time taking it. I can't fail it again; the Professor will chew my ass off!"

Kitty chuckled, wrapping her arm around his. "Well, I can tutor you, if you want."

"I don't know. I don't want to inconvenience you or anything."

"You're not inconvenient." 

Smiling at her tender words, Lance held her close, breathing in the sweet scent of her hair. Gazing into each other's eyes they leaned in for a kiss, only to be interrupted by a certain fearless leader.

"Kitty! Alvers!" Scott cried, running towards them. The teens quickly pulled away from each other, their cheeks red.

"What, Summers!?" snapped an angry Lance.

"It's Kurt," he explained, looking down at his seated teammates. "He didn't come to school today. Have either of you seen him or know where he is?"

"I haven't seen him since, like, yesterday," Kitty stated, slightly worried. 

"Neither have I. Chill, the Smurf probably just stumbled into another dimension again."

Scott took a deep breath. The last thing he wanted to do was get in another tussle with the boy in front of him. "Okay then. Thank you so much for your valuable time, Mr. Alvers. It was a_ ton _of help."

As Scott stormed off, a scowl darkened Kitty's pert face. "That was mean, Lance. Something could have happened to Kurt."

At the sight of her upset expression, Lance's heart sank. "Sorry," he said quietly. "I'm just on edge right now, and I'm not in the mood for Kurt's antics. I have a feeling that he's _perfectly_ fine."

*** * * **

"Dammit, where'd she go?"

Kurt searched the streets, looking for the strange girl who had pick-pocketed him. Peeking in the window of a nearby café, he hoped to see a huge backpack and blue baseball cap among the crowded bodies, but saw nothing. She was nowhere to be found.

"Vhat am I going to do?" the boy cried in frustration. "I don't have any money, and I have no idea vhere I am. I'm too far away to port back home…vhy me?"

"Yo, Fancy-Boy! Did I hear you say you don't know where you are?" a gruff voice said behind him. Turning, Kurt looked at a muscular man with a puckered scar across his chin. With him were three equally rough-looking men who were grinning wickedly. 

"I'll tell you where you are," he continued, barely able to contain his dark laughter. "In trouble."

Before the words could register, the four men surrounded Kurt and threw him in an alleyway. Taken totally off guard, the boy stumbled as a fist hit him squarely in the chest. In great pain, he fell to the ground, knocking an overfilled trashcan over in the process.

"Check his wallet," one of the goons sneered. "Let's see if Fancy-Boy's got enough bread to pay the toll for tresspassin' on our territory."

"He doesn't have any money, so leave him alone."

Kurt gasped in shock as the voice registered. 

The scar-faced leader faced the newcomer and snickered. "I don't think so, little girl."

The blonde girl shrugged, a playful smile brightening her pixie-like features. "Fine, have it your way."

She held up her hand, and a bright burst of energy collected at the tip of her finger, forming a dangerous-looking explosive.

"Bombs away."

*** * * **

At the Institute for Gifted Youngsters, Xavier sat in his darkened study along with his mutant compatriot and friend, Logan. The burly Canadian had just returned from a secret trip to Europe, and had told the Professor of his findings there.

After a long, heavy silence, Xavier spoke. "Was there any sign of. . .?"

"No. The castle had been abandoned for a few weeks, I'd wager, but it was still full of his stench."

"What could he possibly have been doing there?" 

"I think we both have a good idea, Charles."

"Indeed. Most of the technology was still intact, you said?"

Logan nodded, leaning against the mantle-piece. "Yeah. With all that gene-splicing equipment, I wouldn't be surprised if your old friend was planning on carrying out experiments on mutants."

Holding his chin thoughtfully, Xavier made a decision. "Logan, I'm afraid I have to ask you to take me to that castle. There are things there that I need to see."

"Very well, Charles," Logan shrugged his shoulders, his face a mask of seriousness. "But I have a bad feeling about this."

*** * * **

With a flick of her wrist, the cherry bomb exploded in the face of the gang leader, causing a commotion. The three other goons gasped in shock at the strange girl, and Kurt was simply speechless.

"You little bitch!" one of the men snapped out of his stupor and rushed her. Several bombs formed in the strange girl's hand, and she quickly tossed them at her attacker. The bombs burst, blinding him. But before more could materialize from her palm, the two remaining goons jumped her and shoved her violently against the wall.

"Let her go!" hissed Kurt, who rose to his feet despite the pain shooting through his body.

"Stay out of this, we're not done with you yet!" a bearded goon spat, pinning the girl's arms to the wall. She cried out in agony as one attacker punched her in the gut with all the brute strength he could muster.

Seething at their display of cruelty, Kurt pressed a button on his holo-watch. _"I said let her go!"_ With a ferocious growl the hologram faded, revealing the furry blue demon underneath. The men paled in terror, and dropping the girl like a dead weight, ran for their lives.

Kurt darted to the girl's side. Collapsed in a heap, she struggled to stand as she clutched her sore abdomen.

"Are you all right?!" he cried worriedly, putting a hand on her shoulder. Her head rose, and her eyes widened in fright.

"Don't be afraid! I'm a harmless ball of fuzz!"

_"Behind you!"_

Kurt's head quickly spun around, just in time to see the recovered gang leader had drawn a knife and was rushing at them. Kurt threw his arms around the girl and teleported away, leaving the thug to stumble headfirst into the brick wall. 

The pair reappeared on a vacant street several blocks away. Kurt released his grip on the girl, who looked around them in amazement.

"Whoa! What a trip!" she whooped gleefully, her brutal attack all but forgotten. "That was awesome!"

"Ehh, it vas all right," Kurt said shyly, turning his holo-watch back on.

"Don't be so modest! I'd kill to have a mutant power like that!"

"So you _are_ a mutant!" grinned the elf. "I couldn't believe my eyes vhen you blasted zhat little cherry bomb of yours. Ze look on zhat loser's face vas priceless!"

"Totally!" the girl snickered. Her laughter quickly died down, and she sighed. "Well, I should be on my way.  Adios!" She started to walk away when Kurt's voice stopped her dead.

"I'd like my money back, zhank you very much."

Slapping her forehead, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small wad of bills. "Okay, okay. Sorry man," she said, stuffing it in his outstretched hand. "I'm outta here."

"Ahem. It's five dollars short."

"Christ!" she groaned, rolling her eyes. "I spent it on a Breakfast Burger Gut Bomb. A girl's gotta eat, you know?"

"So vhy don't you have money of your own?" Kurt inquired, quirking an eyebrow. 

"Look at me!" exclaimed the blonde, pointing to the huge pack on her back. "I spent all my dough hoofin' it all the way to Bayville."

"'Hoofin' it?'"

"I'm from Roanoke."

Kurt looked at her quizzically. "Vhy did you come so far by yourself?"

She shrugged. "I have my reasons."

"Do you have any place to stay?"

"Ehh, kinda. Sort of. Maybe."

"Vell, you're velcome to come back vith me to ze Institute!"

"Institute? What, like an asylum or something? I'm not _that_ crazy!"

Chuckling, he shook his head and explained. "No. It's called the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters. It's a haven for young mutants like us."

"I'd like to, but I don't think the lady I'm gonna be stayin' with would care for that."

Kurt's face fell. "Oh. Okay. But maybe you can visit us once or twice. The Professor vould love to meet you."

The girl grinned. "All right, I'll check it out. But _only_ because _you_ asked me to. I owe you for saving my bacon back there."

"Hey, don't mention it. You helped me out too!" Kurt blushed.

His companion was about to say something, when a billboard caught her eye. "Oh, wow!" she exclaimed in awe. Kurt glanced up at the lead singer of The Stone Ciphers, whose flat visage smiled at him from the billboard.

"The Stone Ciphers are playing here?! Tight!"

"You like The Stone Ciphers?"

"Uh-huh! They're almost as good as Festering Boils!"

Kurt studied her face. The strange, husky-voiced blonde was smiling like a little kid on Christmas morning, and for a moment, she was beautiful.

"You vant to go?"

"Yeah, but no way it'll happen," she said with a touch of sadness.

"Er, I mean, vould you like to go vith me?" Kurt blurted out.

The girl faced him, surprised. "You'd take me?"

He nodded, smiling like a goof. 

The girl burst into giggles, and threw her arms around the boy. "I _knew_ there was something about you I liked, Blue! You're awesome!"

"Z-Zhanks," he said, turning beet red. "I'll meet you in front of the Sterling Center an hour before ze show, okay?"

"Sure!" the girl beamed. Glancing quickly at her watch, she made a face. "Crap. I really gotta go this time. There's somebody I need to meet."

Kurt frowned. "All right. Is zhere any vay I can reach you before ze concert?" 

She shook her head sadly. "Nope. But don't worry, I _promise_ I'll be there. In fact, I'll be waiting for you when you show up." With those words she leaned towards Kurt, and pressed the button on his holo-watch, turning it off.

"Vh-Vhat are you doing?!" the elf cried nervously.

"Relax, there's no one around. I just wanted to get another look at the real you before I go." Smiling gently, she stroked his fuzzy cheek. "You know, I've never liked the color blue. But it's starting to grow on me."

As she started to jog away, he yelled, "I'm Kurt! Vhat's your name?"

"Tabitha. Tabitha Smith," she replied in her best James Bond impersonation. "See ya later, Blue!"

Kurt touched his cheek, where the impression of her soft hand still lingered."Man, I hope so."

*** * * **

Some time later a yellow taxi pulled up at the Institute's gates, and Kurt Wagner stepped out. It had taken him a while to make his way back home, and as he looked out at mansion he recognized a red convertible and its owner.

"Oh, no! He's home early!" Kurt panicked, teleporting back into his bedroom. He bolted for the bed and buried himself under the covers, feigning sleep until Scott entered.

"Kurt! There you are!"

"Huh?" he murmured in a sleepy, congested voice.

Scott marched over to the bed, crossing his arms over his chest authoritatively. "Where were you?"

"Here, mein fruend. I-I zhink I made myself sick fretting over all zhat bad stuff. I'm sorry I vorried you." To hammer it home, he faked a loud cough.

His leader seemed to buy it. "Well, okay. I guess it's all right, since I told your teachers you were sick to cover for you."

"Danke."

"I'll let you sleep." As he was about to let himself out, he stopped in the doorway and said, "I'm sorry things between you and Kitty didn't work out, Kurt. However, it was no reason for you to skip school."

At the sound of the door slamming shut, Kurt cringed.

*** * * **

The kids of the Institute were assembled in the dining room, eating their evening meal. Ororo had left that morning to visit her sister in the city and Xavier and Logan had told them to go on without them, so they were able to relax and be themselves without worrying about the authoritative glares of the adults.

"So, The Stone Ciphers' show's gonna be huge," Evan stated with a mouth full of spaghetti. "All my skater buddies are gonna be there."

"Duncan invited me to go, but I'm _definitely_ not into that noise," Jean said in haughty disdain, unaware of the mixed look Scott sent her way.

"It's not noise!" Kurt squawked indignantly. As everyone stared at him he fell back in his seat, his cheeks red. It was better to keep a low profile, as his friends were still peeved at him for skipping school and making them worry. 'Er, I mean, I'm going to ze concert."

"With who?" Jean probed.

"No one," he answered awkwardly. "Vhy vould I vant to go vith anyone?" His gaze fell upon Kitty and Lance, who had been silent throughout most of dinner. The girl heard his question and winced, knowing that he was still hurt by her rejection. The fact that he knew she was with Lance now didn't ease the sting. Under the table she felt a gloved hand touch hers, and the guilt evaporated.

"I don't think you should go alone, Kurt," Scott said in a no-nonsense tone.

The German balked. "And vhy not?!"

"Because," Scott frowned, "There's safety in numbers, and what if the Brotherhood attacked you--"

"God, give it a rest!" Lance's angry voice cut him off, startling his companions. "Do you really think the Brotherhood spends every waking moment planning to attack us? You expect us to live our lives in fear and not have any fun because of what those losers may or may not do! Let the Smurf go to the goddamn concert!"

For a moment, the table was completely silent. Evan nervously swallowed a meatball, Jean was shocked by his audacity, Kitty was simply stunned, and Kurt, well, Kurt couldn't believe who he was being defended by. Scott scowled and rose from the table, meeting Lance's penetrating glare.

"Listen, Alvers, I'm this team's leader, and everyone here is my responsibility! You of all people should know what the Brotherhood is capable of, and that they have no qualms about attacking someone alone and defenseless!"

Lance drew back as Scott's words hit home. With a snarl he threw down his chair and stormed out of the room. Kitty thought to follow him, but knew he probably wanted to be alone. His beating at the hands of Blob was most definitely a sore subject. She sighed at stared down at her spaghetti, suddenly not hungry.

"Well _that _threw cold water on everything," Evan mused, earning a mental slap from Jean.

"Scott, are you all right?" she asked sweetly.

_Ugh, I'm going to be sick,_ Kitty thought, gagging at Jean's shameless display.

"I'm fine," he said, taking a deep breath. He turned to Kurt, who had shrunk in his seat during the outbursts. "If you want to go to the concert, go. But not unless we all go with you."

"Indeed, Scott," Xavier said, wheeling into the room. The cycloptic mutant straightened, wondering just how much of the conversation his mentor heard. "It would be a very good idea for you all to remain in a group. The concert is in two days, correct?" he asked Kurt. As the boy nodded, he continued. "Logan and I will be leaving for Europe that evening, and Ororo will still be in New York, so that will leave you children alone. It will be a short trip, but I hope you all will stay together, should anything occur for the worst."

"Very well, Professor," Scott said. 

"I can totally deal with that," Evan smirked. "It's gonna be an awesome show!"

_Oh great_, Kurt thought unhappily, _So much for my big date._

*** * * **

Lance lay atop his bed, staring at the ceiling. His thoughts were interrupted by a knock, and Kitty's voice called, "Hey, Lance, I'm coming in, okay?" She phased through the door and sat beside him on the bed, not saying anything.

Lance exhaled, and looked into her eyes. "I made myself look like a big jerk, didn't I?"

"I wouldn't say that," she answered, laying down next to him and propping up her head with her arm. "You had a point. Scott does need to lighten up. But," she hastily added, "you know he means well. He has a big burden on his shoulders, and I don't think he can rest easy unless he knows we're all okay."

"For some reason I doubt he's so concerned about my welfare," he replied sarcastically.

"You're wrong about that. You two may butt heads a lot, but Scott was worried when the Brotherhood went after you. We _all _were."

Lance was quiet as he thought about her words. "Then why does it sometimes feel like I'm not wanted here?"

Touched by the vulnerability in his dark chocolate eyes, Kitty's expression softened. "I know Jean, Scott, and Kurt haven't made things easy for you, but you could try opening up to them. Be the one to reach out first. If you show them the same Lance you show me everyday, they're bound to warm up to you."

"Thanks, Kit," he smiled warmly and put his arms around her, closing the distance between them. Kitty sighed happily and enjoyed the warm embrace.

"Well, I better get going," she said after a few minutes of snuggling. "Take care, Lance."

"Bye, Kitty," he replied, watching her small form phase out the door. Rising from his bed, he decided to squeeze in a shower before Lights Out. He had just thrown his leather jacket on the ground when there was another knock on his door.

"Come in," he said, thinking it was his girlfriend again. When the door opened he was surprised to see a meek Kurt Wagner enter.

"Kurt?" he blinked. "What is it?"

"I just vanted to say, um, zanks for defending me at dinner. Even zough everyone has to come along now, it's nice to know zat someone else zinks Scott's vay too strict."

"Think nothing of it," Lance casually replied.

"Zat's all I had to say," Kurt said as headed out the door. "Later, Lance!"

"Hmmm," the rock-tumbler mused, surprised by the elf's friendly tone. "How about that."

He took a shower feeling slightly better about himself.

*** * * **

Kurt sat in Algebra class, bored out of his skull. The time had passed slowly, and it was finally the day of the concert. As his teacher droned on about linear combination and equally uninteresting topics, Kurt thought about the blonde mutant called Tabitha. The more he looked back on her caress, the more he looked forward to their meeting that night. _But what if she doesn't show up?_ the nagging little voice in his head said. _She will_, the love-struck optimist in him insisted. _She promised she would, and that's good enough for me._

As the class came to an end, he strolled out into the hallway, where he ran into Evan Daniels.

"Yo, Kurt!" greeted the skater. "Excited about the concert?"

"A little."

"Huh? I thought you were psyched to go!"

"I vas, but zat vas before everyone decided to tag along." Looking at Evan's slightly hurt expression he hastily added, "Oh, no offense! It's just, vell, I'm going to meet someone special zere. A girl."

"Ooooohhh," Evan grinned as if he understood. "You bounce back fast, dude!"

"Excuse me?"

"Weren't you just totally crushing on Kitty a couple days ago?"

Kurt blushed, thoroughly embarrassed. "You know about zat?'

"Uh, yeah. Everybody did," Evan chuckled. "I thought you'd be bummed that she's with Lance now."

"I vas. And I still am, in a way," Kurt admitted, looking down at the floor. "But Tabitha's different. I have a feeling about her."

Evan slapped his friend on the shoulder, smiling at his dreamy expression. "Take it easy, Kurt!" And with that he disappeared down the hall, skateboard firmly in tow. Kurt reached his locker and stashed his books on the shelf, glancing at the small mirror he had stuck on the inside of the door.

"Vhat are you so vorried about?" he asked his grim-faced reflection. "Everything's going to be fine."

*** * * **

"What do you mean 'I can't'?"

"What does it sound like, Duncan?" Jean demanded, hands on her hips. She had just come from a student council meeting when her more-than-a-friend-but-not-quite-a-boyfriend surprised her with dinner plans.

"But I already made reservations at the restaurant!" Duncan threw out his hands in exasperation.

"Well, you're just going to have to cancel them," she said flatly.

"Fine! But tell me what's so important that you have to refuse dinner at a fancy French place with me!"

"If you must know, I'm going to the Stone Ciphers concert tonight with the others from the Institute."

Duncan was aghast. "But I asked you to that show weeks ago and you said no!"

"Believe me, I don't want to go," Jean assured him, "but I have to. Professor's orders."

"Yeah, right. It's Summers, isn't it? He asked you out, didn't he?"

"What? There is nothing going on between Scott and I!" she cried angrily, pulling away from him. 

"Spare me, Jean. I've seen how he looks at you!"

"God, why are you so paranoid? You have no right to be angry at me; it's not as if we're officially going out, anyway!" Huffing, Jean stormed off before Duncan could say another word. 

The lunch bell rang, and the angry young telepath went down to the cafeteria. Still simmering over her fight with Duncan, she decided to ease her nerves with a soft drink. Just as she turned the corner towards the vending machines, a familiar rumble echoed in her ears. She narrowed her green eyes at Lance Alvers, who was using his powers yet again to swipe soda from the machine. 

"You're a real piece of work," she snarled, her patience at an end. "Using your powers to steal is really low."

"Lay off, Red," he snapped back. "I'm just getting a soda for my girl, not committing grand larceny." With cola in hand he roughly brushed by her, not wanting to exchange any more words.

"Does Kitty know you're a thief, Lance?"

He stopped dead, as if her words had literally pierced him.

A smirk formed on Jean's lips. She knew she had hit a sore spot, and she wasn't going to let him go so easily after insulting her so brusquely the night of Duncan's party. "I wonder if she'd still go out with you if she knew what you're really like."

"She knows exactly what I am," Lance replied coldly, his back still turned to her. "And she still cares about me." 

He walked away with his head held high.

*** * * **

"La la la," Kitty bobbed her head up and down, happily singing along with the radio perched on the bathroom sink. Stepping out of the steamy shower, beads of warm water dripping down her body, she wrapped herself in a pink towel. She struck a pose in the full-body mirror, tossing her full mane of dark hair over her shoulder and pouting her lips in the most alluring way she could. Kitty chuckled to herself and started to blow-dry her hair when she heard a muffled voice call her name. Quickly shutting off the radio and dryer, she clearly heard Lance say from behind the door, "Almost done, Kit?"

"Just about!" she lied, letting the towel drop and hastily dressing.

Lance heard her frantic hustle from outside the bathroom and chuckled. His good mood was spoiled by a stern voice in his head. 

**Lance, please see me in my study at once.**

The boy groaned. Professor Xavier was supposed to be on his way to Europe with Logan, what could he possibly want? He marched into Xavier's study, and was instantly struck by the cold look on the older mutant's face.

"What is it?" he asked, not sounding as strong or confidant as he wanted to.

The Professor looked as if he could wither plants at a glance. "Lance, it has come to my attention that you have recently received a zero on a chemistry test due to _coercing_ one of your teammates to give you the answers."

_Christ_, Lance cursed. "I'm really sorry about that, Professor. Honest. I forgot to study and just panicked. It won't happen again."

"It certainly _will not_," Xavier said firmly. "This comes as a huge disappointment to me, Lance. But that's not all."

_Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap_, Lance's mind raced. 

"I'm also now learning that you've been using your powers to steal from the vending machines at school. Such careless, dishonest behavior is completely uncalled for, and I see no reason to let you attend the concert tonight."

"What!" Lance burst out in shock and anger. "Kurt skipped school and gets off scott free, but I have to sit here and stew because I screwed up a couple times?!"

"Kurt's punishment is forthcoming," he explained, his voice still cold and impersonal. "I considered making him stay home as well, but given the altercations between you two, I believed it would be unwise to leave you both here alone."

Lance thought to mention how Kurt had thanked him after the outburst a few days earlier, but quickly disposed of the idea. The old man was obviously set in his path, and it would do no good to drag the elf down with him.

"This is such bull," he muttered under his breath.

"Call it whatever you like. But you can either not go to the concert, or be grounded for three weeks. The choice is yours."

_Some choice_, Lance thought bitterly. "Fine. I'll stay."

"Very well. That is all," Xavier dismissed, opening the doors for Lance. He strode out angrily with his fists clenched, nearly running into Jean Grey as he stormed through the hall.

"Watch it!" she snapped as he knocked her arm. Her expression changed when she saw his face. "Something the matter?"

Lance turned. "It was you, wasn't it? You ratted me out to Xavier."

Jean didn't deny it. "It's your own fault, you know. You had no right to do any of that."

"And you had no right to snoop around in my head!"

She gasped. "I would never--!"

"Save it. How else could you have known about the test? I'm sure you feel real proud of yourself for getting big bad Lance punished."

Jean scowled at his patronizing tone. "You _deserve_ to be punished! It's about time you learned how things are at the Institute!"

"Yeah, I see how things are," he said darkly, walking away from the bitter redhead.

Lance's parting words hung in the air for several moments, as Jean seemed to think. Then a new voice spoke.

"Was that really necessary?" 

Jean's head turned to face a frowning Kitty. "Yes, it was."

"Lance, like, failed the test and got a detention. What's the point in making things worse for him?"

"He thinks he can do whatever he wants," she spat, her anger returning, "But he can't. And I'm sick of people like him making life hard for decent, hard-working people like, like,--"

"Like you?" Kitty interjected, her words cutting through Jean like a knife. "Just keep telling yourself that."

*** * * **

Charles Xavier fastened his seatbelt in the co-pilot's seat of the X-Jet. Beside him sat Wolverine, who began to warm up the Jet's engines.

"So, did you ground Rocky?"

"Yes, I'm afraid," Xavier answered with a touch of regret.

"I think you let him off too easy. A couple sessions in the Danger Room alone with me would set the kid straight."

Xavier chuckled. "Perhaps, but we don't want to _scar_ Lance, do we?"

"I guess not. Still, it's a shame. He ain't a bad kid."

"No, he's not," the Professor affirmed. "None of the students are."

"You worry about them too much, Charles," Wolverine said gruffly as the X-Jet fired to life.

"It's hard for me not to. But, old friend, I find myself more concerned over what we will find in Europe."

"Yeah," Wolverine said distantly, not bothering to voice the thoughts that troubled him.

*** * * **

Kurt looked at his reflection in the window by the mansion's main entrance and nervously straightened his tie. Now that he thought about it, maybe a nice gray suit was not the best apparel for a rock concert. Still, he wanted to look his best for Tabitha, and maybe he'd stand out enough so that she'd easily spot him when they hooked up.

"Jean! Evan! Kitty! Hurry up, we gotta get going!" Scott called, twirling his keys around his finger. He had been informed of Lance's grounding, and didn't know what to say when the longhaired boy trudged down the steps past them and into the kitchen, so he didn't say anything. Sure, Lance shouldn't have stole or tried to cheat, but there was something about his grounding that left a bad taste in the X-Man's mouth.

Evan skated into the hall from another room, and Jean waltzed down the staircase. Dressed in a new miniskirt and white blouse, it was hard for Scott to ignore her beauty, even though her stormy expression was a bit disconcerting.

"Kitty, come on!" Scott shouted for his lagging teammate. The freshman appeared at the top of the steps and said, quite casually, "I'm not going."

"What?" Scott balked. "Kitty, we don't have time for this."

"I'm serious!" she exclaimed, walking down to meet them. "I don't want to go."

"There's no way you're staying here alone with--" Jean's voice trailed off when Lance poked his head into the room.

Kitty ignored her, and looked imploringly at Scott. "You made a point before that the Brotherhood could strike when one of the team is separated from the rest. That's why you're tagging along with Kurt. But what if they were to attack the mansion while Lance is here by himself? I want to stay to make sure everything will be all right."

"Well, Kitty, if you're sure that's what you want--"

"Oh, just leave her!" Jean huffed in disgust, grabbing Scott by the hand and dragging him out the door. 

"Love hurts, man," Evan grinned as he followed the awkward couple. "Later K-Girl! See ya, Lance!"

"Bye, Kitty," Kurt said a little distractedly before teleporting outside.

Kitty stood by the door, not closing it until Scott's crowded convertible was far out of sight. She sighed in relief, and turned to see her boyfriend looking at her quizzically.

"Why did you stay behind?" he asked, knowing it wasn't really out of an obligation to her team.

"Why do you _think?_" she replied, standing up on her tiptoes and surprising him with a peck on the cheek. 

Lance blushed furiously and touched the blessed cheek. "I don't want you to punish yourself for my sake."

Kitty smiled and shook her head. "Silly. I told you before; you're not inconvenient. And spending a nice, quiet night alone with you is _no_ punishment." She took his hand and led him upstairs, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "Come on, I know _just_ how to pass the time."

*** * * **

It hadn't taken Tabitha Smith very long to make herself at home at her new place. Her bedroom, pristine and immaculate when she first entered days earlier, was now cluttered and filthy, with an empty pizza box and feminine undergarments sharing floor space. Stepping over the box, the girl assessed herself in the mirror. Her clothes had been carefully chosen, with the pink top and tight jeans accenting her finer physical features. She looked great, but there was something missing. Reaching into a small jewelry box atop her nightstand, she removed two earrings made of fine pearl. The earrings had been the only truly beautiful things her mother owned, and the only things from home Tabitha had bothered to take with her when she left, aside from the clothes on her back. Putting them on, Tabitha smirked at her reflection.

"Perfect." 

She had been looking forward to that night for a while, though she found seeing her favorite band live less exciting than meeting that boy, Kurt, again.

_You're not even in Bayville a day and you meet a cute boy,_ Tabitha thought proudly, opening her bedroom window. _He was more than a pretty face, too. He was a mutant. And a really sweet one, at that. Tabby, I think your luck is starting to change._

She slipped out her window onto the terrace below. Carefully creeping across it, Tabitha jumped off, landing softly on her feet in the grass. Having made a silent exit from her new home, she bolted down the street on her way to the concert.

A light turned on in one of the large house's upstairs rooms. From the window, two dark silhouettes could be seen. One was a tall, longhaired woman, and beside her was a wiry boy. The woman watched the blonde mutant make her escape, and then turned to her companion.

"Follow her."

*** * * **

"What exactly do you have in mind?" 

"It's a surprise," Kitty smiled. With that mysterious comment, Lance's mind was free to wander as she led him to her bedroom. Once inside, the girl made her boyfriend promise to close his eyes as she fetched the "surprise." 

Lance's more…_hormonal_…side had a few ideas as to what it could be, though the rational part of him had doubts. _Kitty isn't that kind of girl,_ he told himself. _At least, I don't think she is._

"Okay, open your eyes!"

Lance's eyes flew to Kitty, still fully dressed and holding up a thick textbook.

"_Chemistry for Dummies_?" he said curiously.

She nodded. "Yup! I thought this might, like, help you pass your next test. Wanna crack it open?"

"Uh, sure," Lance forced himself to smile. Studying wasn't exactly how he envisioned spending his night alone with Kitty, but any time spent with her couldn't be bad.

Lying on Kitty's bed, the two mutants studied hard. An hour crept by slowly as the complex formulas and compounds began to sink in Lance's head.

"So the answer would be Tetracarbon hexasulfide. See?" Kitty asked, pointing to one of the book's harder questions.

Lance gazed thoughtfully at the problem while the gears in his head turned. Comprehending none of the formula before him, his mental computer crashed and he hung his head with a gloomy sigh.

"God, I'm never going to get this!" he cursed, clutching his temple in frustration. "I must be an idiot or something."

Kitty rested her head against his shoulder as a gesture of comfort. "You're smart, Lance, you've just let your grades slip so long you've forgotten how to bring them back up. The more you practice, the easier this stuff will be."

A grin formed on Lance's lips. "You have so much faith in me. I wonder where you get it from."

Kitty returned the smile and leaned against him, holding him tightly. "It's not a matter of faith. I know what you can do."

Their eyes met at that moment, and their hearts began to beat faster.

"I wish we were at the concert, instead of being locked up here," Lance murmured, unable to tear his gaze away from the beautiful girl in front of him.

"Really? I didn't think you were that thrilled about going."

"Well, I just thought that with the two of us being together and all, the concert would be kinda like a first date."

Kitty's eyes widened at his sweet sentiment, and her lips curled into a playful smile. She slammed the textbook shut and tossed it off her bed without so much as a backward glance. "Study time's over," she said, caressing his cheek. "Let's have some fun."

*** * * **

The Sterling Center in south Bayville was a colossal stadium overrun with kids eager to see The Stone Ciphers perform. The Xavier students were swamped by the crowd and stuck together out of fear of getting lost.

"I have no idea why Duncan wanted to come here," Jean shouted over the noise as she clung to Scott's arm. The young preps stood out like a third eye in the mass of grungy, tattooed teens, and Jean hated to feel out of her element. Just then a trio of well-proportioned teenyboppers in halter tops and cutoffs brushed by them.

Scott's eyebrows arched. "I think _I_ have an idea why."

While the leaders of the team were distracted, Kurt slipped away in search of his date. He scanned the area, hoping he might see a familiar face among the goths and punks. After several minutes of wandering and looking he was about to give up when a figure behind him snatched his arm.

His head spun around, and Tabitha flashed him a winning smile.

"Hey, Blue, I've been looking all over for you. Nice suit!"

The pair of mutants walked arm-in-arm towards the stage, completely unaware of the tall boy by the t-shirt stand who watched them intently as he spoke into a cell phone.

"Are you kidding? It was a piece of cake! And you're _never_ going to guess who she's with!"

*** * * **

"Canonballllll!" 

Lance pulled his knees up to his chest as he leapt from the diving board, and made a spectacular landing in the mansion's outdoor pool. Kitty giggled as the water splashed her, and proudly applauded when he came back up for air. It had been her idea to make use of the huge pool that was "just dying" to be swum in, and since it was heated they didn't have to worry about the nippy November weather turning them into icicles. And hey, it was a good excuse to see her man in his black swimming trunks. 

"I give it a 5.0, Mr. Alvers," Kitty grinned, giving him thumbs up.

"So, do I get a gold metal?" Lance asked slyly.

The two teens plunged underwater and, holding hands as well as their breath, kissed firmly on the lips. After a few moments they surged back up for air, gasping and laughing loudly.

Lance shook his head from side to side as he came down from the rush. "I think I got water up my nose." 

"The movies make it look so easy," Kitty remarked with a smile.

*** * * **

Kurt and Tabitha made it to the front of the stage, and moved their bodies to the ferocious beat of the music. Someone in the rowdy crowd knocked into Kurt, and he brushed against his female companion. 

"Oh, I'm sorry!" he cried apologetically, his cheeks an embarrassed red. It had felt nice to brush her skin, though he was ashamed to admit it. 

"Don't be," Tabitha replied. "You can touch me whenever you want."

As the elf blushed even more, Tabitha burst into laughter. "Just kidding!"

Kurt pouted. "You're very veird," he said. "I like you."

Meanwhile, Jean was starting to warm up to The Stone Ciphers' thrashing guitars. She stopped dancing when she noticed Scott's joyless expression.

"You could at least _try_ to enjoy the show." 

Scott sighed. "I just keep thinking about leaving Lance behind."

"What?"

"We're here, having a good time, while he's stuck at the mansion."

"He's with his girlfriend. Something tells me he's found a way to keep busy."

"It still doesn't seem fair to me."

"You're questioning the Professor's decision?" 

"Of course not! I've just been doing some thinking about today and the other night after Duncan's party."

The redhead scowled at the unpleasant memory. "What about it?"

"Lance is our teammate, and we should trust him. He can't really be blamed for having a bad attitude when he's constantly being accused of some wrongdoing."

Jean placed a reassuring hand on her friend's shoulder. "He's a troublemaker, and if we don't put him in line he'll just keep acting up. There's no excuse for cheating and stealing. You were right to be angry at him after the party, and the Professor was right to ground him."

Scott's pained expression faded, and he squeezed the warm hand on his shoulder. Jean was right. She always was.

On stage, the lead singer of the band stepped forward, pointing out into the crowd.

"All right, Bayville, who wants to rock with us?!"

"I do! I do!" Kurt hollered. Tabitha was shrieking too, and she grabbed Kurt's hand and waved it in the air. 

"Over here!" she shouted over the noise.

The goateed lead singer smirked when he spied the cute blonde in the front row. Crouching down, he held out his hand for her to take. 

Tabitha hopped on top of the stage and pulled Kurt along with her.

The singer pointed his mike at the two teens. "Hey there, tell me what's your favorite song!"

Kurt and Tabitha happily cried in unison: "I Was A Teenage Outcast!"

The lead guitarist ran his hands furiously over his instrument, and the lead-in chords to their favorite song began to play.

Laughing and cheering, the young mutant couple started to dance on stage beside the band. There was only that moment, all other worries and troubles were completely forgotten.

In the far distance, Evan looked atop the stage and did a double take. Grinning hugely, he darted through the crowd and found his other friends. 

"Yo, look up there! It's Kurt!" 

Their eyes flew to the stage. "Oh my god! It _is_ Kurt!" Jean cried in astonishment.

Evan chortled. "The Fuzzy One knows how to rock!" 

*** * * **

Lance and Kitty gazed up into the inky darkness of the night sky, the glimmering stars and crescent moon giving them the only light they needed. Resting on a toasty flannel blanket, the two lay peacefully atop the mansion's roof and admired the universe.

"Ahh, there's the big dipper!" Kitty said, pointing to a cluster of tiny stars.

"Really? I don't see anything."

"Constellations aren't hard to see. Just relax your eyes and it'll appear," Kitty suggested.

Lance followed her directions and let his dark eyes relax on the patch of sky she had pointed to earlier. "Oooohhh," he nodded his head. "I still don't see anything."

Kitty giggled and snuggled closer to her companion. He wrapped one arm around her shoulder, warming her up more than the blanket ever could.

"Lance, can I ask you something?" 

"Anything."

"Do you think you'll always be here…with the X-Men?"

"What do you mean?"

Kitty frowned. "Well, my parents agreed that I should stay at the Institute until high school is over. I'm only a freshman, so I have a few more years to go. But you're going to graduate in a few months, and I've been wondering if you'll stay when you're done with school."

Lance thought for a few moments before replying. "I suppose I will. College doesn't interest me at all, and it's not as if I have anywhere else to go," he remarked with a humorless laugh. "Before I came to the Institute, I just lived day to day, never really thinking ahead. But _here _I have a future. I just need to figure out what to do with it."

A smile formed on Kitty's lips. "I'm glad you're staying."

Closing his eyes, Lance tightened their embrace. "As if I could ever leave you."

*** * * **

Kurt Wagner and Tabitha Smith were among the last to file out of the stadium and into the parking lot after the concert's conclusion. Holding hands, the couple was still riding the wave of excitement that had swept them up as they danced on stage. 

"Zat vas tight! Totally tight!" Kurt beamed.

"Oh, I know! Did you hear T-Bone's bitchin' guitar solo when we were up there? It was the coolest thing I've ever heard in my life!"

"I'm so glad I came!"

"Me too," Tabitha replied, and before Kurt knew it she was kissing him on the mouth. They parted slowly, the girl smiling in satisfaction, the boy utterly bewildered.

"Gott en Himmel!" he whispered. His lips still tingled from the kiss—his very first, he realized.

"That good?"

"Yeah! Oh, Gott, yeah!" he grinned. "But vhy did you…?"

"I just felt like it," she replied airily. "I live for the moment. Blink, and life could pass you by."

"Interesting vords to live by," he mused. "I really had a nice time."

"Ditto."

"You vant to maybe, er, do something later?"

"You mean a date? I'd like that," Tabitha smiled.

"Awww, how sweet. I think I just got a cavity. Another one, that is," a voice sneered. There was a quick flash of movement, and Toad hopped onto the roof of a nearby car, grinning down at them. Gasping, the teens looked around and saw the Brotherhood of Mutants surround them. A smirking Quicksilver stepped forward and began to clap his hands.

"Bravo, Tabitha. That was truly an Oscar winning performance."

"Oscar? Boy, I could sure go for a hotdog," Blob muttered, then was silenced by a penetrating glare from his field leader.

"What are you talking about? And _what _are you doing here?" Tabitha demanded.

"Quit the act, sweetheart. You lured Fuzzy here, now its time for _us _to take care of the little twerp."

Kurt's head spun around, and he looked hurtfully at Tabby. "Are you. . .are you vith _zhem_?"

Tabitha turned away, unable to meet his questioning gaze. "Yes," she whispered. 

"You tricked me!" 

"No! No, Blue, they're lying! I didn't tell them about you! I wanted to see you, not hurt you!"

"Shut her up," Quicksilver muttered to Toad. Before Tabitha could say another word, a huge glob of slime was spit in her face.

"Tabitha!" Kurt ran to her side despite her seeming betrayal. He struggled to wipe the sticky substance from her face, and as it was cleared she looked at him with sad eyes.

"Kurt, I…look out!"

Toad's long tongue whipped towards the boy, only to be blasted away by a red optic beam.

"Hey, that hurt!" Toad yelped.

"Good," Spyke said with a sneer. The Brotherhood suddenly had company, as three X-Men appeared on the scene, and they looked very pissed off.

"You creeps need to get a new playbook," Cyclops spat as he pointed threateningly at them. "Your 'attack 'em one by one' plan is starting to get old."

"Yeah, aren't you three men enough to take us all on?" Jean chided.

"Oh believe me, there's nothing I'd like more than to crush you X-Geeks under my big toe. But that can wait--" Quicksilver paused to snatch Tabitha out of Kurt's arms and hoist the girl over his shoulder, "Because we have what we came for."

Quicksilver zipped away, with the other two members of his team close behind him. Jean hurried to Kurt and asked, "Are you all right? What happened?"

"I'm fine," he said quietly. "And I _don't _vant to talk about it."

*** * * **

Finally overwhelmed by the frosty night air, the two students alone at the mansion snuck into Xavier's study and made use of his grand fireplace. The embers crackled and burned, mesmerizing Kitty with their scorching beauty as she held her beloved in her arms.

"This is nice," whispered Lance, who brushed his cheek against her chest and listened to her heartbeat.

"Mmmhmm," Kitty purred softly. She and Lance had made quite a little love nest, as they snuggled in front of the fire while wrapped in a warm blanket.

"A peaceful night just between the two of us…I wish this could go on forever."

"I knew you were just a big softie," Kitty smiled at him.

"It's true, Kit. I haven't felt this nice in a long time…I'm happy."

"I'm happy too," she replied, running her fingers gently through his hair.

Lance closed his eyes, delighting in her caress. He wastruly content, but there was a question nagging his heart. "Is this really what you want? To be with me?"

Kitty's smile faded. "Yes!" she exclaimed. "I want to be with you more than anything, Lance. Why would you doubt that?"

The boy bit his lip, troubled. "Not long ago you said I was your best friend. I just wanted to be sure that you had no problems with your best friend becoming your _boy_friend."

"Well, truth be told, I did worry for a few moments that we were jeopardizing our friendship. But this—this is _right_, Lance. I know in my heart that I care about you, and want to be by your side as _more_ than a friend." She was quick to add, "Being in your arms is the best feeling in the world."

"Being in _your_ arms isn't so bad either." His grim expression cracked, and a smile formed on his lips.

"Lance, thank you for a wonderful first date."

"The pleasure was all mine."

The front door opened, and the sound of four weary figures trudging inside the mansion interrupted the intimate moment. Kitty and Lance tensed.

"Oh no, they must be home early! Wait here!" Kitty cried, quickly phasing out the study door and leaving Lance behind.

Standing in the hallway wearing an innocent smile, Kitty greeted Scott and Jean, who looked rather worse for wear. "Hi guys! Back so early?" 

The frazzled couple looked at her strangely, and went their separate ways to their bedrooms without even a "hello."

Evan was next to climb up the steps. There was something angry about his gait, as if he struggling to hide a bent-up frustration. His temperamental scowl didn't stop Kitty from inquiring, "How was the concert?"

She was answered with a loud slam of his room's door.

Peeking down the main staircase, she saw Kurt was the last to enter. Smiling down at him, she called, "Like, I hope you had a good time!"

He glanced up, but didn't seem to see her. He teleported away, a saddened frown on his elfin countenance. 

Suddenly alone, Kitty shrugged her shoulders and headed back for Xavier's reading room. As she passed through the door, Lance asked, "What's up? They gonna bother us?"

"Oh, I don't think so. They had a really busy night."

Kitty made sure to lock the door behind her.

*** * * **

"Goddammit, put me down!"

Cringing, Quicksilver threw the girl on the cold ground outside the boarding house, having had enough of her kicking and screaming. Tabitha jumped to her feet and threw an angry hand at him, which he blocked with no problem.

"Tsk. Temper, temper, Tabby," he mocked.

"You stupid bastard! Why did you do that?!"

"I could ask _you_ the same question! Why were you fraternizing with the enemy?!"

"Kurt's not an enemy! He's--"

"An X-Man! And since you're new here, let me give you some advice: stay away from them, unless you're planning on kicking their X-Geek ass! It'll save you a lot of trouble, Tabby-kins."

"I'm already in trouble," she sighed, glancing at the figure that stood in the doorway. There was nothing more she could do, and with a heavy heart the girl walked inside the only place she had left to call home. As soon as she entered, her face was met with a harsh slap that sent her to the floor.

"My dear Quicksilver was right, Boom-Boom," Mystique's voice dripped with venom. "You are not to see that boy ever again."

Holding her stinging cheek, Tabitha looked hatefully at her leader. "You can't stop me," she murmured. She soon discovered that she had said the wrong thing, for she was sharply hit once more.

"You _will_ heed my orders!"

"Okay . . .you're the boss." The blonde bombshell straightened and found the strength to salute Mystique. She moved towards the stairs, but was stopped by a blue hand that grabbed her arm. Mystique's long fingernails dug into her soft skin, drawing blood, but Tabitha would not give her the satisfaction of crying out.

"Do _not _forget what I saved you from," the shape-shifter warned.

"Trust me," Tabby soothed her bleeding arm when it was released, "I won't." _I won't forget this, either._

Upstairs, Rogue silently witnessed the harsh exchange. The voice of her caretaker held none of the compassion or warmth it did when she talked to the goth girl, but bore the icy certainty of all that was Mystique. It had . . .chilled her. She slipped back into her room and shut the door when Tabitha stormed up the stairs, not wanting to be seen.

Rogue suddenly felt alone, more so than she ever had before. Wandering over to her window, she gazed at the moon, and, for a brief moment, thought about Scott Summers.

*** * * **

The following morning did not bring clear skies or a bright sun, but rather dark clouds that seemed to warn of a coming storm. The gray sky did nothing to damper Lance's spirit, however. Some would be slightly disturbed to see the normally gruff boy waltz into the kitchen with a skip in his step, but Kurt Wagner was too involved in his own misery to notice.

"Mornin', Smurf," Lance said, sounding downright _chipper_. Humming, he helped himself to a bowl of Lucky Charms and ate happily. 

Kurt glanced up from the table and studied him. "What are _you_ so cheerful about?"

With a secretive smile, he shrugged. "No reason, really. Just had a good night."

"I bet you did," Kurt frowned, still feeling a slight pang of jealousy. "What did you and Kitty do here all by yourselves?"

"Study."

With that, Lance left the kitchen, having finished his breakfast. Peeking out the open door, the elf watched Kitty hop down the steps and greet her boyfriend. Smiling at each other, the two held hands and walked outside. As the door shut behind them, he caught a glimpse of Kitty giving Lance a quick peck on the cheek. It was an innocent gesture that spurred on painful memories of the past night.

Alone at the kitchen table nursing a cooling cup of tea, the German wrestled with his thoughts. He was worried about Tabitha; after all, she had been roughly snatched by the Brotherhood, and there was no telling if she was all right—but Quicksilver's mocking words and Tabby's own admittance of guilt was still fresh in his mind. He had cared about her a great deal, and she had seemed to return his feelings. The kiss had felt so true and real, it couldn't have been an act. But how was he to know? It wasn't as if he had known her for very long, or had any clue what kind of person she really was.

The sound of a motorized wheelchair derailed his train of thought. 

"H-Hallo, Professor!" Kurt exclaimed as the elder mutant wheeled in the kitchen, "You're back already?"

"Yes, Kurt. Logan and I returned very early this morning."

"How vas your trip?"

"Fruitful," Xavier said after a beat. "But how are you? I heard that you had a very rough night yesterday."

Kurt winced. "Scott and Jean told you…?"

He nodded. "But I sensed that there was much more to the story than they let on, so I had hoped you would fill in the details, namely, who the girl you were with was." 

Kurt felt like hanging his tail between his legs. "She said her name was Tabitha Smith. She's a mutant, and she stopped zhese guys from robbing me a couple days ago. I asked her out to the concert, but as ve left the Brotherhood attacked. Apparently she vas one of zhem ze whole time."

"I see. So, you had feelings for this girl?"

Leave it to the empath to figure it all out. "Ja."

"And you still do…?"

"Nein! Er, maybe. Ja. I don't know," Kurt said meekly. "She seemed so sincere."

**But she lied to you,** a voice he could barely identify as his own spoke to him. **She lied, and she tricked you. What else could be expected from someone who would steal from you so much as look at you?**

"But she lied…" Kurt whispered, feeling a little dizzy. "And she tricked me."

**She is dangerous. Stay away from her.**

"Don't vorry, Professor, I von't speak to her again," he said resolutely.

A thin smile formed on Xavier's lips. "I am glad to hear that, Kurt. Now, would you be so kind as to fetch the mail for me?"

"Sure zing," the boy said brightly, as if the previous conversation had never taken place. He teleported outside the gates, and opened the large mailbox, snatching the various letters. As he struggled with a package for Jean, a small note slipped out of his grasp and onto the ground. Kurt retrieved it, and noticed that it had his name on it, with no return address. His name had been written in feminine scrawl, and the r and t had run together where water had fallen into the ink. _No, not water,_ he realized, _tears._

His body went numb as it dawned on him whom the letter was from. For a second he didn't know what to do. Then, his thoughts were clear.

Kurt ripped up the note without reading its contents, and then teleported inside the mansion, leaving the wind to scatter the pieces.

* * * * * * * * * * * 

To Be Continued…

* * * * * * * * * * * 

**Author's Notes:** An update! Finally! Sorry for the wait, but I've had a few hectic weeks recently. This chapter marks the halfway point of the series, and from here on out RYW will be pretty different from the show. Some seeds for future plot points have been planted as well—keep your eye on Xavier and Mystique. 

So, the new Brotherhood member is Tabitha. I hope I didn't disappoint anybody. ^_^;;; Her relationship with Kurt will be more than "Xavier breaks up the couple of the week", because there are quite a few skeletons in Tabby's closet. Yup, get ready for some major angst! I'm still debating over whether or not to give the two a happy ending. Tell me what you think!

"Self-Possessed" was an excellent episode! Rogue was awesome (and kicked major butt!) I'm glad to see Destiny's back, but it was a little eerie when I wrote the concert scene, only to see the X-Men go to a concert! Jamie's a cutie and all, but the wacky "Kitty's date" scene irked me. It just seems to me that the Lance/Kitty relationship has been totally forgotten (which is sad—there goes a whole season of great character development out the window) and I don't like seeing Kitty "date" anyone but Lance. But I _am_ incredibly biased. ^_^;;; Thankfully the writers haven't paired her up with Piotr—yet. 

Next Chapter: The holidays are just around the corner, and Lance and Kitty return to Northbrook. The past returns with a vengeance as Lance has an encounter with Griff and Pete that makes him doubt himself, while Kitty faces unexpected opposition from her parents. Meanwhile in Bayville, Scott shares Christmas dinner with the enemy! And _what_ does the Professor have in his basement?! Coming soon!

Thanks for all the reviews, everyone! Hope you enjoyed Chapter 7! ~Sandoz


	8. Home For The Holidays, Part 1

**Chapter 8: Home For The Holidays**

**Part 1**

Adrenaline pumped through Lance Alvers' veins as he dodged another furious attack. The last projectile had been aimed squarely at his head; it was only a quick duck that saved him from certain death. Looking ahead, he spied his teammate Evan Daniels, who had taken shelter in their fort. The boy leapt for cover and hid behind the fort's wall as another pellet flew dangerously close to his shoulder.

"Shoot!" Kurt Wagner cursed from the other side. "He got away."

"Don't worry, we won't miss again," Scott assured him as he prepared another round of fire.

"This is crazy, man, they're out to get us!" Evan cried worriedly as he saw the enemy regroup. "I think we're done for."

Lance scowled; there was no way he was going be taken out by Scott Summers and his little Christmas elf. Clenching his fists, he stepped out into the open.

"Oh, this is going to be _too_ easy." 

Kurt's joy was short-lived, for his fort began to tremble as the ground below it rumbled. The boys struggled to steady themselves, and soon discovered that it had been a bad idea to build their fortress under a snow-covered tree. The large elm shook, and the snow on its many branches drenched them in icy flurries.

Lance grinned. "Game over." 

*** * * **

Jean was curled up in the living room in front of a roaring fire and idly sipped a cup of hot cocoa. She heard a figure trudge inside and glanced up; she smiled in bemusement at Scott, who was covered head to toe in snow.

"Have fun playing?" 

"Oh yes," Scott answered sarcastically, pulling off his cap and running a hand through his wet hair. "Remind me to never again get in a snowball fight with a guy named Avalanche."

Jean laughed.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, Ororo and Kitty were making a batch of Christmas cookies. The golden brown morsels were pulled from the oven, and their delicious scent permeated throughout the mansion, drawing Lance inside. 

"Wow, something smells good."

Kitty, cutely attired in oven mitts and a cat-print apron, brightened when he entered. "Lance! You're just in time to be my official taste-tester!" Smiling proudly, she held up the cookie tray.

"You made these?" 

"Uh-huh!"

"Then I'll definitely have one!" he said with a grin, taking one in the shape of a snowman. He took a big bite of the cookie, and munched thoughtfully. His face drained of color as the taste registered with his brain.

There was something horribly wrong—it was sour instead of sweet, and there was a bitterness to it that nearly made him gag. But Kitty was looking so hopeful that he couldn't bear to spit it out. He forced himself to swallow it all and say weakly, "It's…good."

Kitty clapped her hands happily. "All right! I was a little nervous since this was, like, my first try at baking cookies, but I guess it's a good thing that I baked a special batch just for you!"

When she handed him a small bag full of her frightening treats his eyes widened in horror. His sensitive stomach turned and, clutching his mouth, he bolted for the nearest bathroom.

Kitty's face revealed her hurt as her boyfriend ran off. "Is there something wrong with my cookies?" she wondered aloud.

Ororo held her chin in thought, and looked at the ingredients laid out on the kitchen table. She saw something amiss and held up a bottle. "Kitty, you didn't use this, did you?"

"Well, yeah. Isn't that sugar?"

"I'm afraid not. It's table salt," she then held up another bottle, "And this?"

"Vanilla extract?"

"Sesame Oil."

Kitty's expression fell. "Oh dear."

* * * 

Kitty's head phased through the bedroom door, and she looked guiltily at Lance's curled-up figure. Creeping silently towards the bed she lay her hand upon his head and caressed his cheek. Stirred from his troubled sleep, he let out a groan. His poor stomach had still not recovered from the cookie menace.

"Hey there, sleepy head," Kitty said affectionately, "I'm sorry about nearly poisoning you. Those cookies were awful. But I baked an all-new salt-n-sesame-free batch to, like, make it up to you."

She presented the boy with another bag full of golden brown cookies. He looked at it in numb horror.

"Th-Thank you, Kit, but you didn't have to…"

"Sure I did!" Kitty insisted, opening the bag and pulling out a menorah shaped cookie. "Try one!"

Lance's stomach did another flip-flop. But again, there was nothing he could deny the pony-tailed beauty. He opened his mouth, and let Kitty feed him cookie.

Kitty was right; they _were_ much better. Delicious, in fact. The warm, sugary morsels delighted his taste buds. Hungry for more, he took another bite and his tongue lightly brushed Kitty's finger as he lapped up the last tiny crumbs.

His girlfriend giggled at the ticklish sensation, and leaned in closer. They kissed deeply, and Kitty could taste the sugar on Lance's lips. Feeling bold, she opened her mouth a little and let him slip his tongue inside.

Lance's body began to heat up, and he gently pulled Kitty down next to him on the bed. As they continued to kiss he placed his hand on her hip and moved on top of her. Kitty hooked her arms around his neck, oblivious to his hand until it shifted onto her bare belly and crept under her blouse.

Kitty froze suddenly, and broke the kiss. Lance pulled back, looking at her in confusion as she sat up and left the bed.

"Well, I better help get dinner ready," she said with a nervous smile. "Enjoy the cookies!" And before Lance could say anything, she was gone. He stared at the door for several moments after she left, his heart in a knot. He then slapped his forehead and cursed himself. "Stupid, stupid."

*** * * **

"I feel like a jerk," Lance later lamented to Evan as he stared into the window of a department store. The four boys of the Institute were Christmas shopping at Bayville Plaza, but Lance couldn't get his mind off the incident with Kitty earlier that afternoon.

"Why's that, bro?" Evan asked. Besides his girlfriend, Evan was the only one at the mansion he could talk to as a friend, even though things were slowly improving with Scott and Kurt. Sure, Evan's skater-isms and his contrary personality were sometimes annoying, but it was better than talking to a wall.

"Kitty and I have been together for over a month now, but every time I try to get, y'know, close to her, she freezes up. I'm scared she thinks I'm trying to pressure her."

Evan smirked lecherously. "So, you guys have…?"

"No!" Lance snapped. "I would never--!"

"Man, I was just kiddin' ya. I think it's cool that you've got self-control. I mean if I had a girlfriend that looked like Kitty I would be all over her!" 

Lance glared at his laughing friend and fought the urge to smack him silly.

"Come on, you two! We've only got an hour to buy gifts!" Scott's authoritative voice called from across the aisle.

"All right! Chill boss-man!" Evan rolled his eyes. 

Scott frowned. "_You_ especially need to get a move on, Evan, seeing as how you and your aunt are leaving for New York in two days."

A sigh escaped Lance's lips. Winter break was almost upon Bayville High, and all the students at the Xavier Institute were going back home to visit their parents for Christmas. All of the students, that is, except Lance and Scott. They were the only ones without a family to go back to. Christmas had never been a good time of the year for the rock-tumbler, but with Kitty gone and him stuck in an empty mansion with his sometime rival, that holiday promised to be terrible.

Kurt walked up to him, carrying a bunch of red and green bags. "So, did you get anything for Kitty yet?" he asked teasingly.

"No. Did you get anything for Tabitha yet?"

Kurt's face darkened, and he stormed away in a huff. Lance chuckled, even though Kurt's pain over his last ill-fated romance wasn't very funny. 

"What do you get someone for Hanukah, anyway?"

"Hanukah?" Scott asked. "That was a couple weeks ago."

"Yeah, but Kitty didn't want to celebrate it down here, since she wouldn't be with her parents. I'm not sure what I should get her." 

Scott surprised him with a smile. "It is hard trying to find the perfect gift for that special person, isn't it?"

Lance cocked an eyebrow. "Yeah, what would you know about it, Summers?"

"Well, I'm having my own problems trying to find a present for a certain someone."

"Jean?"

"How did you know?" 

"I have eyes, don't I?"

*** * * **

Kitty lay across the couch in the living room with a blanket draped across her body, and was having an animated conversation on the phone.

"I know Mom, I'm sorry I missed Hanukah, but we only have a week off and the Professor wouldn't let me miss any class. I'm really looking forward to coming back home…no, I haven't asked him yet…I will, I will…of course he'll say yes!…okay, love you too. Say hi to Daddy for me. Bye!" As Kitty put down the phone, the boys of the Institute walked in the main entrance, their arms full of goodies.

"We come bearing gifts!" declared a joyous Kurt.

"Yay!" Kitty giggled, poking her head out into the hall. She waltzed over to Lance and tried to peek in one of his large bags. "Anything for me?" 

"Maybe," Lance smirked knowingly as he headed up the stairs. Once in his room he stashed the bags in his closet, and flashed a smile at his girlfriend when she followed him inside.

"What's up?" They were alone in his bedroom like they were only hours earlier. Did Kitty have to say something about what had happened?

"Well, I'll be going back to Northbrook on Saturday," she said, breaking the ice.

"Yeah."

"And I know you're going to be pretty much alone here for the holidays. . ."

"Yeah."

"So, like, I wanted to ask you if maybe you'd like to come with me."

Lance was completely taken by surprise. "Go back to Northbrook?" he questioned in disbelief.

Kitty nodded.

"I'd love to go with you!" he blurted out, then realized he had sounded way too enthusiastic. "But is it okay with your folks?"

"It's no trouble at all! When I told my mom you didn't have any place to go for Christmas, she _insisted_ I bring you."

"That's all well and good for your mom, but do _you_ want me to tag along?"

Kitty looked slightly hurt. "Why wouldn't I?"

Okay, then. If she wanted to pretend that the earlier brush off never happened, so could he. "I don't know. But I'll come." 

Kitty kissed him on the cheek. "Great! I'll go talk to the Professor about arranging the flight."

After she left, Lance touched the spot where her warm lips had brushed his skin. The prospect of being back in his old haunts didn't warm his heart; after all, he wanted to permanently close the Northbrook chapter of his life. But he would be with Kitty, and as long as they were together everything would be fine.

At least, that's what he told himself. He started to undress for bed when a half-forgotten memory rose to the surface of his mind and disturbed him.

//Get your hands off my daughter!//

_Kitty's happy I'm coming, and her mom insisted I do it. . .but what about her father?_

*** * * **

The only word that could describe Saturday morning was "chaotic". It started at 6:00 with a telepathic lecture from Xavier about the importance of keeping certain things about the Institute a secret from their families. It wasn't much later that Jean's parents arrived at the Institute in a wood-panel station wagon to whisk their daughter back to Annandale, and Ororo and Evan borrowed the X-Van in order to "safely" drive the streets of New York City. Logan, who had somehow managed to oversleep, hastily drove Kitty, Lance, and Kurt to the airport. It was there that the three young mutants parted—Kurt on his way back to Germany, and Kitty and Lance headed for their flight to Northbrook.

The couple managed to make it to the terminal with only a few minutes to spare. Lance stared up at the 747 in dismay, and Kitty took note of his troubled expression.

"Don't be nervous; my parents will love you!"

He chuckled. "Oh, it's not that. Me plus flying equals pain."

Kitty simply smiled. "Well then, don't be nervous about that. I'm sure the plane will have plenty of airsick bags."

And indeed it did. Fortunately Lance gave them little use, for flying in a regular plane was less nauseating than an SR-77. Aside from his periods of airsickness, the flight was pretty fun. He and Kitty had made fun of the bad airline food, laughed at the in-flight movie, and had an all-around good time. 

The plane landed safely in the Chicago Airport, and the mutant couple disembarked with their bags in tow. As soon as they exited the terminal Kitty's joyful parents accosted them, and Rebecca Pryde threw her arms around her baby girl while happy tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Oh honey, we're so glad to see you!"

Kitty was embarrassed to be hugged by her sobbing mother in front of her boyfriend, but pushed the feeling aside and returned the loving embrace. "I'm happy to see you too, Mom!" 

Lance shifted from one foot to another, feeling like a fifth wheel already. Alexander Pryde stood nearby and put his strong hand on Kitty's shoulder, and then looked up at the boy and nodded his head in acknowledgement. Lance returned the oh-so-warm gesture.

Kitty freed herself from Rebecca's arms and pushed the rock-tumbler forward. "I hope you remember Lance Alvers," she said proudly.

For some reason, the boy's surname rang an alarm in Alexander's head. _Alvers? Where do I know that name?_

"It's wonderful to see you again," Rebecca gushed, taking his gloved hand and shaking it enthusiastically.

"Likewise." 

Alexander took Kitty's suitcase and interrupted the introductions. "We better be off, everyone. We don't want to get caught in traffic."

As the small group left the airport for the affluent suburb of Northbrook, Lance had a sinking feeling in his stomach he couldn't quite shake. He doubted it was the airplane food.

*** * * **

In the bowels of the Institute for Gifted Youngsters, there lay a secret room that only two people knew about. One of those people had left on another one of his lone wolfish jaunts, and the second was on his way down to check upon the room's contents.

The students' winter vacation would prove to be a blessing, Xavier thought, for he was free to continue his work without discovery or interruptions. If one of the young mutants in his care was to stumble upon his work, he could wipe their minds of the incident without breaking a sweat, however, he hoped it would never come to that. As it stood, only one of the students was still at the mansion, but Scott was so reliable, and, dare he say it, _predictable_, that Xavier had no worries about the field leader seeing something he shouldn't.

The small elevator landed at the bottom floor, and Xavier wheeled over to the door that would lead him to his work. It opened after a small mental push, and Xavier entered with a grin. 

"Good afternoon," he greeted. 

The thing inside the large glass jar filled with amniotic fluid seemed to twitch in response to his words. Xavier was very pleased at its recent growth level; for it would be very soon that he'd put it to good use. Perhaps it was a stroke of luck that he and Logan found what they had back in that castle. The Master of Magnetism's technology had come so far, and it made the old mutant wish that he and the one once known as Erik Lensherr were still friends and allies.

The thing inside the jar twitched again, piquing the Professor's curiosity. "Do you have something to say?" he inquired. It twitched again, and he reached for the specially designed helmet that would allow him to mentally communicate with the entity. He put it on, and exchanged telepathic words with it for several moments, and then his face grew grim.

"No!" he shouted vehemently, pulling off the helmet and glaring down at the jar. "No," he said again and wheeled out of the room, leaving the thing alone in the darkness.

*** * * **

The Pryde residence was a beautiful, Victorian-style home complete with rose bushes and a white picket fence—the kind of perfect place one would expect to see in a painting, not real life. The perpetually grungy Lance stepped into the spotless house and immediately felt out of place. His unease evaporated as Kitty brushed against him and squeezed his hand.

Oblivious to their display of affection, Rebecca said, "Kitty, why don't you give Lance the grand tour and let him put his things away in the guest room! I'll go make supper."

"Sure thing, Mom!" Kitty grinned and led him up the stairs. 

"You're mom is very…chipper," Lance whispered into her ear with a wolfish grin.

"She's just happy we're here. I think she's been pretty lonely since I left."

Once in the upstairs hall, Kitty opened a door for him, revealing a large room with a king-size bed and TV. "Here we are sir, your new home away from home," she said jokingly.

"Cool," Lance remarked, throwing his battered duffel bag on the bed. "So, where do _you_ crash, my lady?"

Chuckling, Kitty walked down the hall into her bedroom, Lance not far behind.

"Wow. It's very…pink."

Little pink flowers adorned Kitty's wallpaper, and the carpet was a darker shade of rose. Centerfolds of male heartthrobs from teen magazines had been hung on the door with loving care, and there was a zoo of stuffed animals vying for space on her bed.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Kitty said wryly, taking a seat on her frilly canopy bed. "My mom decorated it."

"What, when you were five?" 

Kitty hit him playfully on the arm, smiling. "You're so mean! I know it's pretty girly, but it's home."

Lance studied the girl in front of him. There was a sad yet wistful look in her eyes, and she hadn't sounded very sure of herself. Taken by impulse, he leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips. "You're beautiful," he whispered.

Blushing uncomfortably, Kitty put her hand on his chest and gently pushed him away. 

"What's wrong?" 

"I'm sorry, Lance, it's just that I'm worried."

"About what? Us?"

"Sort of. There's something I should have told you a lot earlier."

 "What is it?"

"Mom and Dad think I'm too young to date," Kitty bit her lip nervously. "When I started high school they expressly forbid it. But when I developed feelings for you at the Institute, well, I wasn't going to let that rule keep us from being together."

Lance was taken by surprise. "So they think I'm just a friend?"

"It's complicated. I told my mother that we were dating because I thought she'd understand, especially after I told her how wonderful you are." 

Lance smirked.

"But I think she told my father. He's the one who felt the strongest about me not having a boyfriend, and I saw those looks he gave you at the airport. I'm worried that he might do something or say something if he sees us too close for his liking."

A scowl darkened Lance's face as he thought about her words. "Kitty…he wouldn't hurt you or anything, would he?"

"No! Oh God, no!" she shook her head. "He might try to break us up. Not that he'd succeed," she assured him with a caress, "but I want my folks to accept you as part of my life."  

Just then, there was a yell from downstairs. Mrs. Pryde's voice called, "Kitty! Lance! Dinner's ready!"

"Time to face the music," the boy muttered.

*** * * **

"So how is life at the Xavier Institute?" Alexander asked the two teens seated at the dinner table. 

"Pretty cool," Lance answered, meeting the strong gaze of his girlfriend's father. "We got hot meals, warm showers, and a roof over our heads. Not much to complain about."

"Wonderful," Rebecca said with an uncertain smile. "And are the other students nice? Kitty said so, but the only one she really talked about was you."  
  


"Mom!" Kitty cried, blushing in embarrassment. 

Suppressing a grin, Lance casually replied, "They're okay. Jean likes to make my life hell, Scott's all right when he isn't barking out orders, Evan ain't exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer, and Kurt's a total goofball. All things considered, they ain't a bad crowd."

Lance was trying to make a good impression, but Kitty could tell her parents weren't very amused by his attitude. She tried to warm up the room by saying with a chuckle, "Kurt's really funny, Mom. This morning when the three of us were about to leave for the airport, he was in such a hurry that he closed the van door on his tail!"

Her plan backfired. Rebecca winced at the word "tail", and Alexander's reaction wasn't any better. Apparently her parents were still sensitive to the whole concept of mutants. Kitty was more than willing to let the whole subject die, but her father had other ideas.

"I've been wondering, Lance, what exactly is your," he searched for the right word, "ability?"

The teen glanced up from the mashed potatoes he was fiddling with and sat up straight. "Geological manipulation." _Might as well use the fancy term for it._

"Oh," Rebecca nodded her head, her tone clear that she had no idea what he meant.

"I can cause earthquakes."

_"Oh."_

"Well that's certainly dangerous," Alexander remarked. "I can see why Professor Xavier would want you at the Institute and not out in the open where someone could get hurt."

Kitty's eyes flew to her father, shocked that he would say such a thing. Lance furrowed his brow and struggled to keep his voice calm. "I'm not a walking fault line, _Mr. Pryde_, and I'm free to go out wherever I choose. The Institute is about _control_, and that's exactly what I have."

Alexander hadn't expected such a strong reply. He was then further surprised by his own daughter, who said, "Lance is right, Dad. The school's really helped both of us take control of our gifts. God only knows what would have happened to us without Professor X."

The man nodded, and the table fell into a troubled silence. Little else was said that night, and an air of gloom seemed to cast itself over the house.

*** * * **

Early the next morning, Rebecca made her way downstairs to make a fresh pot of coffee. While passing through the halls she noticed that one of the flower vases was nearly out of water, and decided she might as well fill it up. She looked down at the small bouquet of roses and babies' breath and noticed a small insect crawling along one of the stems. She picked it off and squished it as she walked into the kitchen, and glancing up, let out a sharp cry of horror as she saw her daughter's lower body stuck halfway through the refrigerator.

Kitty heard the scream and quickly phased out the fridge door. "Are you all right?!" 

Rebecca clutched her heart, breathing hard. "I-I'm fine, dear. You just startled me."

Kitty's expression fell. Hadn't her parents gotten used to her powers? She looked down at the carton of eggs she had nearly dropped when her mother screamed and put them on the counter. "I was just about to make breakfast, that's all," she explained.

"That's kind of you, Kitty," her mother said, having collected herself. "But you're up so early."

"Yeah, I guess I'm used to, like, getting up at the crack of dawn. Usually we have martial arts, yoga, or Danger--er, practice sessions first thing in the morning. I've almost forgotten what it's like to wake up at a decent hour, but _Lance_," she chuckled, "_he_ can sleep through World War III."

Kitty started the stove, while Rebecca retrieved the frying pan. Kitty fetched some cheese, onions, and peppers from the refrigerator (careful not to phase through it that time) and started to make omelets. 

Rebecca watched her daughter at work, and took the first sips of the black coffee she had just prepared. "I don't remember you having such an interest in cooking," she said thoughtfully.

Kitty shrugged. "It's kind of a new thing for me. I just started Home EC at Bayville High and Ororo's been helping me at the mansion. I've had a few disasters, but I think I'm getting the hang of it."

"You've been doing a lot of new things at the Institute, haven't you?"

"You could say that." _Playing superhero and saving the world, for starters._

"Well," Rebecca paused, "You're father and I did some talking last night, and since you said you've gotten full control over your…power…we thought we should take you out of the Institute."

The girl's face drained of color, and she turned to face her mother slowly. "What?" Her voice was a shocked whisper.

"Kitten, we miss you so much. And since your 'phasing' isn't a problem anymore, why _should_ you be so far from home?"

"Just because I'm not phasing through the floor uncontrollably doesn't mean I don't have anything more to learn," Kitty cried, her voice rising. "My ability to walk through walls isn't going to go away."

"We know, honey, and we've accepted it!"

_No, you haven't,_ Kitty thought. She wanted to scream the words aloud, but didn't want to alert the whole house about their argument.

Rebecca's tone softened, and she took a different approach. "Don't you miss Northbrook? Don't you miss your old school and your old friends?"  
  


"I didn't _have_ any friends," Kitty said in frustration. "And I _hated_ school. Do you remember Riley Chase, Mom?"

"The girl who tried to attack you?"

"Yes! But before that, I tried to tell you and Dad about her. How she and her snotty friends would steal my textbooks and trash them, how they'd dump my lunch tray and start rumors about me behind my back. But you didn't listen…both of you just pretended that nothing was ever wrong because you didn't want to deal with it!"

"Kitty!" 

"It's the truth. Only one person at Northbrook High was ever there for me, and that was Lance. I care about him, and I don't want to leave him or any of my other friends at the Xavier Institute. I'm happy there, and probably a lot safer, too."

"Safer? Safer than in your own home--?!" The woman stopped as a figure appeared in the doorway. 

"Good morning," Lance said tiredly. The kitchen was suddenly silent, and the mother and daughter stared at him for a moment, both wondering how much of their fight he had heard. The teenager looked down at himself and made sure that he had remembered to put pants on before walking downstairs. He had made the mistake before, and had been chastised by a horrified Ororo. Okay, he was fully dressed, so what was the deal?

"Good morning, Lance," Kitty greeted pleasantly, turning her attention back to the stove. "Want some breakfast?"

"Sure."

He sat down at the table and was presented with a steaming hot omelet and a glass of orange juice.

"Sorry, but we don't have any ham or bacon," Kitty apologized.

"Oh, it's okay," he replied, noticing that there was uneasiness between Kitty and her mother. They joined him at the table and would not even look at each other. 

Kitty swallowed the lump in her throat and decided to just focus on her boyfriend and the meal in front of them. She saw him look skeptically at the cheese-covered dish before taking a bite out of it, as if he expected it to taste something like her first ill-conceived batch of cookies. But his face brightened in surprise as he chewed, and he helped himself to more of it.

Smiling in relief, Kitty asked, "Want to go out for a walk this morning?" She stole a glance at Rebecca, "I need some fresh air."

*** * * **

"Trouble in paradise?"

"Hmm?" Kitty murmured, shutting the fence gate as they exited the Pryde residence. "Oh. Right. I suppose you heard all that."

"No, not all of it," Lance replied. "I thought things were cool between you and your folks."

"They were. At least, I thought so. Now I don't know," Kitty said sadly. "I don't want to think about it."

"All right."

The pair walked the cold streets of Northbrook, arm in arm. It hadn't snowed yet, but the ground was covered in a heavy frost that seemed to foretell that a worse cold was coming. The icy wind succeeded in driving away the thoughts that troubled Kitty, and she clung tighter to the boy strolling beside her. While Kitty was bundled up in a thick wool sweater with matching gloves and earmuffs, Lance merely wore a long-sleeved turtleneck and his trademark leather jacket to protect him from the weather. But he did not shrink from the cold. Kitty felt strength and warmth emanating from Lance—things she sorely wished she possessed. Perhaps if she had his strength she would know what to do about her parents.

As for Lance himself, he felt peculiar. He had spent most of his life in the small town, but it wasn't his home. The streets he and his companion walked were foreign to him, almost as if he were a stranger. He wondered if Kitty feel the same way. They had only been back a short time but he knew the visit wasn't what she had expected, or hoped for. 

Finally having enough of Mother Nature, Kitty pulled Lance into a nearby café. It was a warm, bright little shop, full of people and rich with the scent of hot coffee. The girl garnered a seat while Lance fetched some drinks. The lovebirds chatted about the less than stellar quality of their espressos, the Christmas songs that were being played on the radio ad nauseum and other frivolities, but after a few minutes a silence fell between them. Her mind far away, Kitty gazed somberly into the hot cup in her hands. The dark-haired boy examined her features, and while he wasn't a telepath, he could make an accurate guess about what she was thinking of.

"Kitty, uh, if you want to talk about it, you can." Being a sensitive New Age boyfriend wasn't something he was good at, but he could see she was being bothered by something.

"I just wish that things were, I don't know, _different_," she said after a beat. "It seems like my parents want to keep pretending there's nothing different about me."

"Hunh. That's stupid," Lance scoffed, feeling a bit of anger and annoyance towards the Prydes. "If _we've_ come to terms with what we are, they can too. It's not as if they're the ones with the powers."

Kitty nodded in wordless agreement, still fretting. She nervously brushed back a strand of hair from her eyes and continued her lament. "That's not all there is to it, though. They…want me to stay here. Permanently."

Her words hit Lance like a blow, and for a moment he was too shocked to respond. He then let out the breath he didn't know he was holding and asked, "Are you going to leave the Institute?"

"Not if I can help it."

"Will your parents give you a choice?"

"I really don't know."

Reaching across the table, Kitty took her boyfriend's hand. Their fingers intertwined, and Lance returned her loving squeeze as Kitty spoke.

"Believe me, I don't want to leave you."

The couple looked into each other's eyes, and exchanged a glance that spoke volumes about their feelings for one another. Three words fluttered in Lance's heart, aching to be said and brought into the open.

The confession would have to wait, as a pair of well-manicured, feminine hands snuck up behind the boy and wrapped themselves around him. Lance's blood ran cold as a painfully familiar voice purred his name.

"Lancey, where were you? It's been months!" 

He grimaced, not wanting to share any words with the girl or look at Kitty's shocked and questioning expression. Swallowing a string of curses, he said, "Yes, it has, Lindsey."

The girl, Lindsey, detached herself from him and smiled. Kitty was then able to get a good look at her—she was tall, curvaceous, and dressed in leather boots and a designer mink coat. Her dark brown locks were long and wavy, and her complexion was flawless. She was beautiful enough to be a model, and that only troubled Kitty more. Just who was she, and why was she talking to her boyfriend with such familiarity?

"So tell me, where exactly have you been?" she demanded again with her hands on her hips, as if she had a right to know.

"Away," was all Lance was willing to offer.

Lindsey shrugged, apparently satisfied. "As mysterious as ever, I see." She then leaned toward his ear, focusing her eyes on his companion. "And who's this? Your little sister?" 

Kitty glowered at the girl, and Lance groaned. "You know I don't have any siblings. She's my girlfriend. Kitty Pryde."

"How adorable! She's just so little and cute…your taste in the opposite sex has certainly changed a lot, Lancey."

"Has it?" Kitty inquired, her patience hanging by a delicate thread.

Lindsey's coquettish lips formed a smirk; she was quite pleased with herself for ruffling the little girl's feathers. 

"Well, I better be off," she waved. "I have to meet Peter. We're seeing each other now."

"Peter," Lance growled the word. 

She said with a wink, "I'll be sure to tell him you're back in town. Ciao!"

As the glass café door shut behind her, Lance let out a sigh and rubbed his temple, feeling a headache coming on. "I'm so sorry about that," he murmured.

"Yeah. Girlfriend?"

"Ex-girlfriend," Lance replied, firmly emphasizing the "ex". "We broke up a long time ago."

"It sounded to me like she wanted to keep things warm between you too."

Okay, Kitty was a little mad. He understood and really couldn't blame her, after the way Lindsey behaved. "That's just the way she is. After we split she still put the moves on me, even though I told her up front just exactly how I felt about sleeping with her."

"So, you never…?"

"Had sex with her?" Lance couldn't help but smile at the way Kitty blushed. "No, I never did."

Seeing the relief in her face, he looked into her eyes. "And I don't regret it, either. I have _you_," he kissed her cheek, "And Lindsey and Pete deserve each other." 

Kitty was slightly put off by his spiteful tone. For a moment she thought she saw a shadow pass over his face, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. 

She quietly asked, "Is there something wrong?"

Lance was surprised at her question. "No, I'm all right." There was the tiniest waver in his voice, and his eyes were distant. He was hiding something all right, and the girl frowned.

To Kitty, Lance was a confidant as well as a friend and love. She relied on him for strength, comfort, and understanding, and poured her heart out to him many times. And while he had also found solace in her embrace, there was a part of _his_ heart that was closed off to her. Try as she might to break down the emotional barrier between them, there were things that he continued to keep from her. She had been patient; after all, the many times he had been hurt in his past made it difficult for him open up. But now she was beginning to wonder if she'd ever see the deepest, most intimate parts of his soul.

*** * * **

Lindsey Jameson stood outside the coffee shop, tapping her foot on the dull concrete in annoyance. She most definitely did not like to be kept waiting. The comely girl stole a glance at her gold wristwatch and swore that if he were just one more minute late she would storm off and make him sleep in an empty bed that night. Fortunately, he arrived with sixteen seconds to spare.

Peter Mehan looked a lot like Lance, in that he was a perpetually scruffy, longhaired young man. But unlike the mutant there was no warmth in his eyes, only a cold, dark emptiness. Staring into his hazel orbs would have unnerved many people, but Lindsey found him attractive. Lindsey was a very stupid girl.

"I was waiting for you for fifteen minutes," she huffed. "I hate it when you make me wait."

Pete laughed humorlessly and put a possessive arm around her shoulder. "Where do you want to go?"

"Lance never made me wait," remarked Lindsey, ignoring his question. 

"Oh no? Isn't that why you started hanging around me in the first place?"

She pouted. "You know what I mean. He may have been a tight-ass, but at least he knew how to treat a girl."

"Lance didn't know anything," Pete spat. He always used the past tense when referring to his missing "friend". He was gone and better off forgotten.

"Why don't you tell him that yourself?"

"What?"

Lindsey's gaze shifted to the café window, where a certain couple could be seen. "He's right in there."

Pete's head spun around, and his empty eyes were filled with loathing when he recognized a battered leather jacket and its dark-haired owner.

"I think…I will." 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

To Be Continued. . .

* * * * * * * * * * * * 

**Author's Notes:** Well, here's the first part of the Rock Your World "Holiday Special" (hey, it's only a couple weeks late -_- ) The Special was originally intended to be one huge chapter, but upon completing it I thought the 40 (!) pages was a little much for one installment. So, I split it in two. On the plus side, the next update shall be fairly soon, and my loyal readers won't have to wait over a month for a new chapter. And since the chapters following the Holiday Special won't be as long as the last few have been, hopefully (knock on wood) I'll be able to get back on a somewhat regular schedule. 

So. . . ::dramatic voice:: What will become of Lance and Kitty? Will they have a holly jolly Christmas, or will Kitty's parents pull her out of the Institute? Is Pete planning something? What is in Xavier's basement? Why is the sky blue? Do you know the muffin man? All these questions and more will be answered in the thrilling conclusion to "Home for the Holidays!" Be there! ::end dramatic voice::

Thanks for all the great reviews, everyone! ~Sandoz


	9. Home For The Holidays, Part 2

Chapter 9: Home For The Holidays, Part 2 

Scott Summers awoke to "Feliz Navidad"; with an annoyed grunt he slapped his alarm clock into silence. He lay in bed for several moments before dragging himself up, and felt the sluggish lassitude that follows oversleeping. He was often called "Mr. Military" for a reason—as the straight arrow field leader of the X-Men, it was his duty to set an example for the others by sticking to a tight schedule and being awake, fed, dressed and prepped at 6:00 am for Danger Room practice.

The simple pleasure of sleeping in was not something he was used to. 

It was 8:10 that Christmas morning when he walked into the kitchen and greeted Professor Xavier, the only other being at the mansion. The two had a nice, peaceful breakfast of ham, toast and eggs before exchanging gifts. Scott had given Xavier a novel by one of his favorite authors (although he had no way of knowing that to the Professor such a present was useless, as he had picked the novel's story from the writer's brain months before it saw print) and he had received a blue and yellow sweater in return. 

"Thanks, Professor," Scott said quietly, grateful but not excited. He had already gotten two sweaters for Christmas, from Kitty and Kurt, but the one from the Professor was made from the special material that didn't give him hives, so it was a good gift, all things considered. It was a far better present than the old skater shirt Evan had just washed and thrown in a festive bag, or the guidebook _Be Happy, Dammit!_ Jean had jokingly stuffed in his stocking.

Thinking of the redheaded beauty, Scott's eyes fell upon a box under the magnificent evergreen Christmas tree, neatly wrapped in shimmering red and green paper. He had chosen the gift with great care and had thought, perhaps foolishly, that it would be able to convey to her the words he could not say aloud. But if there was one thing true about his relationship with Jean, it was that it was full of missed opportunities. She skipped the gift-giving night at the mansion in favor of a romantic evening with Duncan, and then left for Annandale bright and early the following morning, leaving Scott and the present far behind.

"Is anything wrong?"

He met the Professor's gaze and shook his head. "Nah. I think I'm just gonna go out for a ride and clear my head."

Normally when Scott went to "clear his head" he retreated to Lookout Point, a stately, secluded spot that looked over the town, but that was when he wanted to escape the hustle and bustle of the crowded mansion and be by himself. So where could he go when the last thing he wanted was to be alone?

The only answer he could think of was the local mall. Most of the shops were closed for the holiday and many people were celebrating it at home, but the clamor of the small crowds and the festive songs played throughout the aisles comforted him in a strange way, and he didn't feel quite so lonely.

Scott wandered past the department stores with little direction, and his eyes passed upon a figure gazing at the Nativity scene in one of the windows. Her back was turned to him and he wouldn't have paid her a second glance if he hadn't noticed the white streak in her hair. Stopping cold, it suddenly dawned on him that she was the one person he wanted to see, though up until then he hadn't realized it.

"Rogue!"

*** * * * ***

Hundreds of miles away in Northbrook that very same morning, someone was watching the Pryde house. Parked across the street in a rusty blue gremlin, he studied Alexander as he walked onto the porch for a cigar, and grinned at Kitty as she re-lit a candle on the menorah in the front window. A grubby hand reached in the glove compartment and pulled out a cell phone.

Griffin Hughes didn't look like a suspicious person. He was a slightly round, dull-eyed teen with a blue baseball cap hiding a head of blonde hair, and definitely didn't look like the sort of boy to be spying on other people. Still, that's just what he was doing.

"Pete! Hey, I found the place where he's stayin' with his girl. It's real swank, you should see it. . .uh-huh. . .I bet they've got a load of money. . .okay, got it. Later."

Having received his instructions, Griff shut off the phone and turned on the car. He drove away, never seeing Lance glaring at him from an upstairs window with hate in his eyes. 

*** * * * ***

Rogue turned sharply at the sound of her name, and she looked at Scott in surprise. "You!" she exclaimed, taking a step back.

The boy's grin faded. "Easy, easy. I'm not here to cause any trouble."

"Sure yer not."

"No, really. I just wanted to say Merry Christmas."

The sight of Scott's warm smile struck her where it hurt most—her heart. Why did he have to be so friendly when she was trying to hate him?

"Well, Merry Christmas t'you too," she murmured in spite of herself.

Scott thrust his hands in his pockets. He was glad she hadn't run away when she saw him, or worse yet, _attacked_ him, but suddenly he was at a loss for words. "So," he finally said, "Why are you here by yourself?"

"Why are _you_?"

"I asked you first." Again, that smile. Rogue tried not to look at him.

"Ah didn't feel like being cooped up with Mystique's goon squad anymore. Freddy nearly burned down the house with his new George Foreman Grill."

Scott laughed, relieved that the southern belle was warming up to him. Unlike the rest of his teammates, he refused to give up on her. He had talked to her at every opportune moment at school, always wearing a smile (little did he know that was what Rogue hated—and liked—about him), always trying to bring her into the light. Rogue couldn't be their enemy—would she have helped Kurt escape the Middleverse or be standing there with him right now if she was?

Rogue crossed her arms over her chest and said with a wry grin, "So spill it, Shades, what's up with you? Ah thought you would be with the X-Geeks singing carols door-to-door or giving puppies to orphans, not sulking like one o' the lost an' lonely."

"Sorry, but we're all out of puppies this year. Everyone else at the Institute has gone back home to be with their families."

"So why stay here? If ah had a place to go back to ah'd be outta Bayville in a heartbeat."

"Well then, we're on the same page. I also don't have family to go back to."

For once, Rogue didn't have a comeback. "Oh. . .that's too bad."

"Yeah, it is."

For a few moments, nothing more was said. The boy wrestled with his thoughts before making a decision. "Hey. . .would you like to do something? With me?"

Rogue's next word surprised even her. "Sure."

*** * * * ***

"So, the Prydes have a lot of dough, huh?" 

The door to Griff's gremlin slammed shut as he and Pete stepped out onto the gravel. Their little base of operations was a run-down garage in the seamier side of Northbrook that had been abandoned for several years. It was a grimy, dirty place that felt just like home. 

"Oh, yeah. I looked up the girl's old man, and apparently he's a banker." 

"Good work, Griff. This could really pay off."

Pete opened the half-rotten door and a rat scurried back into the shadows. Cursing at the vermin, he didn't notice that it had been unlocked until he turned on the lights.

"Hey guys," Lance smirked, "Miss me?"

Pete's lips curled up in a sneer, and Griff turned white as a sheet. 

"Lance! W-Where have you been, buddy?" The blonde boy made a move to run to his old friend, but Pete's hand stopped him.

"Just what the hell are you doing here?" he demanded.

Lance shrugged. "Just visiting my old haunts. That's not a problem, is it?" 

"Yeah. You're not welcome here, Alvers."

"Not too long ago you wouldn't have dared talk to me like that."

"Times have changed! You said you were gonna get that girl to steal those exam answers, but instead you disappeared and left _us_ holding the bag! We had to sneak in through the roof, but we set off the alarms and ended up expelled!"

"You know, that really doesn't sound like my problem."

Pete clenched his fists, his anger threatening to take control of him. "Like hell it isn't! You and your little chickadee _owe_ us!"

At that, Lance dropped the façade. Any friendliness or kindness in him died and went to hell, and with a murderous look he grabbed his one-time friend by the collar.

"Stay away from the girl and her family. _I'm warning you._"

Ignored up until then, a nervous and frightened Griff found his voice. "Wuh-We weren't gonna do anything, Lance, honest!"

The enraged rock-tumbler turned his attention to the other boy. "Then why were you staking out their house?" Griff stiffened, and Lance continued. "You were always too stupid to cover your tracks."

"Shut up," Pete growled, shaking himself free of his grip. "We need cash, and the Prydes got it. You think you can stop us from taking what we want?"

"Yeah, I do." The mutant snatched Pete's arm, digging his fingers into his grimy skin. The ground around them began to rumble and shake, and plaster from the derelict ceiling crumbled and fell around them. "And you know why."

Lance shoved him to the ground and pushed Griff aside as he stormed out. The petrified youth ran to his hurt friend and looked at his arm. 

"Are you all right?" Griff asked.

Pete pushed him away, grimacing. "Get away!" he hissed. Rising to his feet, he stared at the fingernail scratches in his skin and then looked up at the partially destroyed ceiling. "He thinks he can just come back here like nothing's wrong and push us around? That freak's got another thing coming."

*** * * * ***

Know your enemy.

That was one of the rules of combat Mystique had told her Brotherhood many times. But, as Rogue suspected, she hadn't quite meant it like this.

She was sitting across from Scott Summers (a.k.a. Cyclops, Shades, Four-Eyes and X-Geek Numero Uno) in, of all places, a Chinese restaurant, and the two were actually having a nice conversation.

"Dracula, hmm?" Scott said, taking a sip from his bowl of egg-drop soup. The topic was favorite books. "You know, the spring play's going to be _Dracula: The Rock Opera_. You should try out."

Rogue felt the heat rise to her cheeks. No one at the Boarding House ever cared about her interests like that. "No way. Could you see me on stage, dancing an' singin' an' makin' a fool outta myself?"

"Don't knock your acting ability. You were pretty good as Kate in Henry VIII."

The young goth remembered with some fondness their performance together in World Lit. Class weeks earlier. It was the first time they had really spoken to each other while not wearing spandex.

"Maybe ah'll try out," said Rogue with a slight smile. "But enough about me. Tell me something about you."

Scott rested his chin on his hand, looking almost embarrassed. Modest by nature, he wasn't used to tooting his own horn. "There's not much to tell, really."

"Oh, come on. You don't have t'be so mysterious."

"Mysterious? Me?"

"Yeah. You keep to yourself at school almost as much as _ah _do."

"Well, I have to dedicate myself to the X-Men. They need me. It's a 24-7 kind of job, and there's really no room for anything else."

"All work an' no play, eh?" Rogue smiled at him, and touched the tip of his nose with a gloved finger. He drew still, his expression unreadable. At that moment she wanted to take off his ruby-red sunglasses and look into his eyes, optic beams be damned. 

Just then their waiter arrived, and delivered a pair of fortune cookies. Rogue cracked open the crunchy treat and read her fortune: "Grasp opportunities to create the future."

Scott frowned at his. "You are still hungry, eat another fortune cookie."

Rogue chuckled. "Should we take another order?"

"The fortune cookie doesn't lie."

An hour later, they were still there.

*** * * * ***

Lance walked back to the Pryde's home certain that he wasn't being followed. He hopped up the steps and reached for the front door when it opened for him. Kitty was behind it.

"I missed you this morning," she said, letting him inside the warm living room.

"I had to see some old friends."

"Griff and Pete?"

Lance's eyes widened, then he smiled. She never missed a beat. "Yeah."

Her expression fell. He could tell she was worried, and with a soft caress he brushed on of her long bangs behind an ear, lightly touching her skin. 

"Hey, don't fret. I'll spend the whole day with you, I promise."

Kitty wrapped her arm around his. "I'd like that. We should really do something for you anyway, since it's Christmas. There's a winter carnival downtown. Sound fun?"

"Uh-huh. Let's go."

"I'd be glad to give you a ride," Alexander said, suddenly appearing in the kitchen doorway. 

"Thanks, Daddy!" Kitty grinned. "I'll go get my jacket."

The girl disappeared down the hall, leaving the two men alone. Kitty's father wore a genial expression, but his smile gave Lance shivers. 

"Say Lance, I've been meaning to ask you something."

"Shoot."

"Would you happen to be related to a man named Dominic Alvers?"

Unbeknownst to him, his voice echoed down the hall past the closet. Kitty stood behind the door, still and quiet, as Lance spoke.

"He was my father."

"Oh. Did he. . .pass on?"

"Yeah. He died a long time ago."

"I'm sorry." _Sorry that rat got away with the three grand he embezzled from me._

Lance swallowed a lump in his throat. "How did you know him?"

"He used to work for me."

"I see."

"Ready to go?" Kitty asked as she joined them. Lance and her father nodded, and the three were off to the Winter Carnival. 

It was a gray, murky afternoon, and heavy clouds hid the sun. The night was going to be a lot darker.

*** * * * ***

"Thanks for sharing that meal with me, Rogue," Scott said as they wandered outside the mall. Their feet crunching in the thick snow, they passed by a small old woman who smiled at them as if thinking, _what a nice young couple_. Scott wanted to correct her—_No, it's not like that. At all_. 

"It was nice," his companion said mildly, burying her hands deep in the pockets of her trench coat. "Livin' with the Brotherhood has made me miss intelligent conversation."

Scott smiled, pleased that his Christmas hadn't been so lonesome after all. But before long the teens passed a platform of the Bayville Trolley. Rogue gave a lingering glance at Scott, then at the Trolley that was quickly being filled with passengers. 

"Ah have to go," she finally said, "Before Mystique or anyone else finds out where ah've been."

"I understand." It was the truth—odds were Xavier wouldn't be very happy if he knew Scott had been fraternizing with the enemy.

She took a step on the red and gold trolley. Suddenly words were caught in the boy's throat.

"Listen, there's something I want to tell you…"

Rogue's head turned.

"We—the X-Men and I—didn't attack you in Georgia. We've never meant you any harm."

She closed her eyes. The electronic voice over the trolley's loudspeaker warned the passengers that it was about to leave, and as the doors closed she murmured two words that only confused Scott more.

"Ah know."

*** * * * ***

The normally green and peaceful Summerlea Park had been transformed into a winter wonderland of bright lights, delicious smells, and the delightful sounds of people having a good time. Mr. Pryde dropped off the teenagers at the carnival with a warning that he would pick them up no later than 10:00 and then drove off while talking urgently into his cellular phone.

Kitty's blue eyes were glittering as she gazed all around her. "Ready to have some fun?" she said playfully, taking his both his hands. Lance's answer was a smile, and without any words of protest he let Kitty pull him into the crowd.

Kitty had no idea that her rock-tumbling boyfriend had never been to a carnival before. Field Trips at the orphanage were rare, and when they did occur they were for educational purposes only, as if the administrators wanted to suck out what little fun remained in the children's lives. Even when Lance was out of the pen he had never ventured to the yearly Winter Carnival—as far as he was concerned such events were for losers and pansies. But as corny as it was, he had discovered that the right company could make anything worthwhile. 

But it wasn't just Kitty's loving presence that brought about the lightness in his heart. The dark burden of leadership over a gang was off his shoulders. He no longer worried about being one step ahead of the police or how he'd hide the bruises on his body from his social worker. He was free from that life. He and Kitty were free to have fun and be themselves like any other normal teachers. Hell, that night they forgot they were even mutants. Standing together, they watched the moonrise and Lance knew that he was really truly absolutely positively _happy_.

He didn't know what to do with himself.

The carnival had many rides available, from the towering "Kamikaze" that suspended groups of people upside-down in midair, or the "Scrambler" that resembled a giant top and spun its passengers round and round at great speeds. Just looking at the rides made Lance's stomach churn; he and Kitty opted for the slow moving and much more romantic Ferris wheel instead.

The two secured a stall just for them. Sitting quite close together, they gazed out the wraparound windows as the wheel lifted them up towards the brilliant sky. A myriad of stars had joined the full moon, and the glittering Christmas Lights that decorated the carnival made it seem that stars had fallen to earth as well. It was almost unreal.

Kitty leaned against the strong frame of her companion, and felt his arm wrap around her shoulder. Lance could feel her small, warm body pressed against his, and his heart ached with an indefinable longing.

"Are you having a merry Christmas?" asked the girl softly.

He nodded, running a hand through her hair. 

"When we get back, I have a present for you."

"I have something to give you too."

The words had double, perhaps _triple_ meaning, and Kitty understood. The rest of the Ferris wheel ride was silent as the lovebirds contemplated each other.

*** * * * ***

Rogue made a lonely trek back to the Brotherhood of Bayville Boarding House, her mind drifting from the boy she had spent her Christmas with to the woman she called leader. She was torn between the two—one had given her a home and an identity, and the other offered true friendship and understanding. Mystique doted on her almost like a daughter, but Rogue suspected the shape-shifting principal had ulterior motives; would she care about her if she weren't a storehouse for mutant memories and powers? She truly didn't know, and that was what scared her.

But once the southern belle got past her initial distrust of Scott Summers—when she rejected Mystique's lies and started to think for herself—she didn't sense any deception or manipulation. Scott was…

_Scott is what? _she asked herself. When she couldn't find an answer she thought, _I shouldn't get involved with him_.

With newfound resolve Rogue reached for the knob on the boarding house's front door, but it was thrown open before she could touch it. Startled, she looked down at a nervous Todd Tolensky.

"Uh, heya, Rogue. We've been kinda expecting ya."

"What is it?" Glancing over his shoulder, she saw the Brotherhood and its leader assembled on the couches in the living room. A pregnant silence fell over the room as her teammates stared at her. Pietro was smirking, Tabitha seemed uninterested, and Freddy looked somewhat confused. As she took a tentative step inside, Mystique rose from her seat to greet her.

"Rogue my dear, look who's made it for the holidays."

It was then that Rogue noticed the woman sitting in the armchair, gazing at her from a pair of dark sunglasses.

"Irene!"

*** * * * ***

For about an hour following the trip on the Ferris wheel, nothing could ruin Lance's unbearably good mood. His girlfriend had persuaded him to try cotton candy for the first time, and while the sickly-sweet pink confection nearly made him as nauseas as the Scrambler, they had a good laugh about it. They then watched the band from their old high school butcher "White Christmas" on one of the stands. When Lance snickered at their off-key performance a little too loudly Kitty ribbed him, though she could hardly suppress her own chuckles. 

His laughter abruptly stopped when he saw a longhaired teen in the crowd that looked suspiciously like Pete. His fist clenched, but a second glance told him the boy was too short and handsome to be his old orphanage pal. It was a false alarm, but it succeeded in dampening his spirits and putting him on edge again. What if Pete and Griff had followed them to the carnival and were watching them? Were they plotting something? 

His thoughts ceased when the band's set ended and the crowd dispersed. Kitty asked if he wanted to try his luck at the shooting gallery, and he heard his voice reply yes. The rational part of his brain told him to concentrate on Kitty and make sure the night was special for her. There was no sense, it said, in being paranoid. He had scared his old gang away, all right. In the old days an angry demonstration of his mutant power would have them petrified and crying in a corner for a week, so they wouldn't dare show themselves now.

The ring toss game was especially easy for Lance. Walking up to the red and white-striped booth he had promised Kitty a teddy bear resting among the varied prizes, but to win it he had to toss a plastic ring around a wide-mouthed bottle elevated several feet away on a high box. The other folk around him who had tried before hadn't come close to winning, and some wondered if the game was rigged. Lance smirked confidently as he took the ring and hurled it across the booth. For a second it looked as if he had chucked it too far to the left, but Lance held his fist and made the earth tremble oh-so-slightly. The bottle he was aiming for rattled and moved to the left accordingly, and the cheap ring fell around it. It happened so quickly that none of the onlookers had even registered the small tremor, but the boy's girlfriend has noticed the white gleam his eyes he always had when he used his powers. She wasn't about to complain however, as he had done it for her. She squeezed the adorable plush toy, noting the dark fur it had was very close to the color of Lance's hair. Secretly deciding to name the bear Lancelot, she gazed up to thank him when she was taken aback by his expression. He was glaring at someone or something up ahead, though she could not discern who or what it was. His eyes had narrowed to dark little slits, and he put a firm hand on her shoulder. 

"Kitty, I'll be right back. Stay here, okay?"

"What is it?"

"Nothing. I just have to take a leak." She knew he was lying, though he stalked off in the direction of the Port-A-Johns. Her lips creased into a frown.

Griff Hughes was hiding behind one of the odious green stalls of the portable toilets, beads of sweat dripping down his forehead. Afraid that Lance had seen him, he had jumped out of sight. When he peeked over the side of the stall he saw no sign of the older boy, and breathed a loud sigh of relief. His nerves were shot, though, when a hand clamped down on his shoulder. He tried to break away, but a powerful figure took his arm and bent it back, forcing him on his knees. 

"L-Lance," Griff choked. "Please…"

"Shut up," he sneered, tightening his grip on the squealing piglet in front of him. "Why are you following me?"

"S-Supposed to watch you both. Then grab your girl when she was alone."

"Why?!"

"Her family's loaded. We wanted you to snatch us money from her folks and exchange it for her."

"Money? That's what Pete wants?"

"It's not just that, man. Pete hates your guts. He w-wants to hurt you…I-I think he wanted to fuck your girl while we had her just so he could gloat about it in front of you afterwards."

Completely enraged, he spun the boy around, taking him by the collar and lifting him off his feet. _"And you were going to let him?"_ he questioned furiously. His brown eyes had darkened to the point of being black.

"I-I don't know, man," Griff quaked. "I can't go against him. Pete's _scary_, Lance. Scarier than you ever were."

"What's going on here?" a voice demanded. Both heads turned to see a portly security guard standing with his hands on his hips looking very unamused.

"Nothing, sir," Lance forced out the words, releasing Griff. The guard nodded curtly, then mosied away. Surprisingly, Griff didn't bolt when he had the chance. Instead he just rubbed his red arm with a guilty look on his face.

"Listen, Lance, my feelings towards you ain't exactly warm and fuzzy, but I don't hate you. I don't know why, but I don't. Maybe 'cause we used to be friends."

"Yeah. Used to."

"And that chick, Kitty, really doesn't have nuthin' to do with this mess. Pete is just fucked-up. I shouldn't tell you this, but…while you've been screwin' around with me, Pete's probably already got her."

*** * * * ***

There was a light on in the Pryde residence that night, when most of the neighborhood families were settling down to bed. It illuminated Alexander's home office, where he sat at his desk and stared down at the documents in front of him, hands clenched.

The name "Alvers" had set off an alarm in his head that day at the airport, and it buzzed in his brain until he connected it with a man he had given a job to out of pity several years earlier, only to have him steal thousands of dollars. Now his son was dating Alexander's daughter. Believing that the apple never fell far from the tree, he called an old friend who worked in social services and asked for a favor. Within two hours he was faxed a series of papers all pertaining to the troubled life of the ruffian who was sleeping under his roof.

The first document detailed his early home life. His natural parents, Dominic and Andrea, were con artists who operated under many aliases and were police suspects in several shady dealings. When Lance was in first grade his teacher reported seeing ugly bruises over the child's body, and his folks were watched under suspicion of child abuse. But the violence and neglect would continue until Dominic was charged with embezzling three grand from Alexander's bank. He and his wife fled the law, taking the money and leaving their only son.

Any sympathy Mr. Pryde felt for the boy disappeared when he read the account of his orphanage days. With no known relatives he was placed in a special center for abused and troubled boys. Troubled he was, for he started fights almost immediately and quickly attached himself to a violent crowd. At school he had poor grades and an even poorer attitude, often getting in tussles with teachers and bullying classmates. It was believed by his social workers that what Lance needed was a strong family influence to set him straight, and he was placed in several foster homes. He never stayed in one for longer than a few months because his foul temperament, unruly behavior, and lack of respect for authority made him a chore and a danger to care after. 

As a teen he joined a gang with his former orphanage pals, racking up a handful of misdemeanors on his record. He was arrested for theft and street brawling, but the charges were dismissed due to his age. He and the members of his gang were under the careful eye of the Northbrook police for four long months when it was rumored that they were moving into drug dealing, but nothing came of it. As a senior at Northbrook High School he was barely scraping by until Charles Xavier whisked him away to his Institute in New York that was no doubt full of miscreants just like him. If Alexander had known that his precious daughter would be living with such violent characters, he would have told that bald liar to fuck his special school for "gifted" students.

The man was boiling over with rage, though his face was dangerously calm. What could Lance possibly want from Kitty? Money? Sex?

His stomach clenched.

There was no way in hell that delinquent would sleep in his house another night, nor was there any chance of him getting anywhere near Kitty ever again. She would be pulled out of the Xavier Institute immediately and stay home where she belonged. 

Having made his decision, Alexander turned off the light and carried the papers into the bedroom where his wife lay. Tearing Rebecca away from the television he showed her his findings and explained the situation. Horrified, she insisted that he must be wrong. Rebecca hated to hear unpleasant things.

"It's true, goddammit! All of it. Something needs to be done, _now_."

*** * * * ***

Lance had been gone for a long time. Kitty wanted to pursue her erstwhile companion and demand an explanation, but she decided to stay put and try to enjoy herself. If Lance decided to come back, she'd give him a chance to tell her everything. If he didn't, well, she'd just beat it out of him.

Confused and hurt, the young freshman let out her frustrations at the shooting gallery. Water pistol firmly in hand, she let the duck-shaped target have it until the whistle blew and ended the game.

"You're a good shot," said a male voice. Turning her head, Kitty saw a stranger leaning against the booth with a crooked grin. He had a long face and stringy hair, and the odd look in his eyes raised her defenses.

"Thank you," she said, removing her eyes from his and walking away with Lancelot in her arms.

He shouted after her, "Hey, I think I know you! You're the long jump girl!"

Kitty stopped and looked at him again. At a second glance there was something familiar about him, though she couldn't place where she knew him, if she indeed did. His name for her spurred on a memory of a day two months earlier; the very day she met Lance. After being mocked by Riley for stumbling during the long jump, Lance defended her by causing a small sandstorm. He had waved at Kitty from the roof of the school, and there had been two other boys with him. One of them was standing in front of her. 

"So…are you Griff or Pete?"

"Pete," he answered, amused that she knew so much. "I'm an old friend of Lance's. We go way back."

Kitty's eyes narrowed. "I've heard about what a great friend you are."

Before saying anything more, Pete looked her over. She was a pretty young thing, as Lindsey had told him. No doubt a sweet little virgin that dated a bad boy just to flirt with danger, she would be a piece of cake. That would have to wait until later however, when there weren't so many people around and she was sure not to put up a fight.

"See you on the flip side," he winked, disappearing into the throng and leaving an unnerved girl alone to mull over her curious encounter.

*** * * * ***

Lance darted through the streets, banging into people when they blocked his path or slowed him down. A woman he almost knocked down called him a very vulgar name and he didn't stop to return the greeting—he was so angry that if he paid her a bit of attention he'd lose it and do something stupid, which he couldn't afford to do since he was on a mission. He was at last back to the spot where he had left his girlfriend, but she wasn't in sight. Cursing, he scoured the area and spotted her in the distance. She was talking to none other than Pete.

The blood in Lance's veins ran cold. He fought his way through a small group of people ("Watch it, punk!") and ran to her side, but Pete had vanished. Kitty was still holding the bear he won for her and was none the worse for wear, save the scowl she threw in his direction.

Her expression was the only thing that stopped him from taking her in his arms and squeezing her with all his strength. Lance had been truly scared for one of the first times in his life. He knew Kitty wasn't a defenseless damsel who needed protecting; she was an X-Man who held her own against Logan in martial arts and turned laser firing to robots into tin cans in the Danger Room. If that two-bit hood _had_ attacked her, she could handle him easily. But she was so dear to him that the thought of anything happening to her was too much to bear.

"Are you all right?" he asked between heavy breaths.

"Yes," she said airily, "Except that my boyfriend, like, abandoned me."

"I'm sorry…it's just…"

"Just what?" she implored, feeling the sting of tears behind her eyes. "What has been up with you, Lance? You disappear early in the morning, you disappear when we're supposed to be together, you don't tell me anything. . ."

"I don't want to trouble you!"

"Stop it!" cried Kitty suddenly. "Stop hiding things from me! What does our relationship mean if you won't let me in on your _life_? If something's wrong, you can tell me!"

_"I can't!"_

"Why!?"

"Because. . .you won't like what I have to say."

Her voice was soft. "Is that so? I might surprise you. If there's something that's really hurting you, I want to help."

Lance's lips formed the tiniest of smiles. "All right," he conceded while gazing into her azure eyes, "You win."

*** * * * ***

Kitty's neighborhood was shrouded in the shadows of night, the only real light coming from the occasional street lamp. Kitty and Lance walked down the illuminated sidewalk on their way home, having opted to walk the distance rather than call the girl's father for a ride. While the wintry wind was sometimes brutal, the trek enabled Lance to talk to Kitty without any interruptions or eavesdropping.

"…So I left the garage, thinking that I'd scared them off," he continued guiltily. "I thought they'd leave us alone, but sure enough, they were stalking us at the carnival."

Kitty, who had been quiet throughout most of Lance's explanation, now spoke. "But if Pete was after _me_, why did he walk away when he had me all alone?" 

"I don't know. Maybe there were too many people around to grab you and get away clean, or maybe there never _was_ a plot to abduct you. He could have been trying to mess with our heads."

Kitty let out a quiet sigh and shivered involuntarily. Lance had given her his jacket to wear, and she pulled it closer to her slim body. "It gives me the creeps thinking about that scummy guy watching our house. You should have at least told us what was going on or called the police."

"I know. That would have been the smart thing to do, but I doubted the heat would buy someone with _my_ record suddenly ratting out his old gang. As for your parental units, honestly, I didn't want to give them a reason to hate me."

"Oh Lance, it's not as if you _wanted_ this to happen," said Kitty soothingly, leaning against his tall frame. She glanced up ahead at her house. "Once we're home we'll take care o—_LANCE!!"_

She saw the attacker only a mere second before he struck, and by the time Lance's name escaped her lips he was lying face-first on the concrete with two figures standing over him. One was wielding a baseball bat, poised to strike again.

Lance groaned as sharp pain shot through his shoulder and struggled to turn his head to get a good look at his assailants. He saw the bat coming at him, then felt Kitty dart to his side and turn them both intangible. 

Pete swore. It was so dark that he didn't see the bat phase through the teens as if they weren't there; he felt it slam into the sidewalk and thought he missed. Griff was behind him, holding his own steel bat and shaking. He had been told to take care of Lance's girl if she gave them any trouble, but he was too skittish and so startled by Pete's brutality that he couldn't bring himself to do anything. 

Squinting, the dark-haired thug spotted his targets and swung the bat again with all the strength he could muster. "You're gonna get it now, freak!" he shouted vehemently. 

Lance bared his teeth and threw out his arm before the blow could be struck, sending a powerful tremor through the earth under their feet. Griff stumbled, and the bat fell out of Pete's outstretched hands. Jumping up, Lance shook himself from Kitty's grasp and grabbed the fallen weapon. Pete was trying in vain to get a firm footing on the shaky ground, and was taken completely by surprise when the bat connected with his chest, sending him flying. Griff gasped before being struck down by Lance's hand as well.

"Do _not_ point a weapon at me," growled the berserk rock-tumbler, "Unless you know how to use it!"

The bat fell from Lance's fingers, and he began to pound the boys with his own bloodied fists. Turning his "attentions" toward Griff, he took his eyes off Pete for a moment and the bruised delinquent made a move to grab the discarded bat. Kitty, who had up until then watched the fight in a numb state of horror, saw this and dashed for the bat as well. Pete was faster and smacked her away with a snarl. Hearing her small cry Lance lunged at Pete, more enraged than ever before. One hand held him by the throat and the other punched his face over and over in a violent rhythm.

"Stop it, Lance!" Kitty's voice begged. Her words seemed to penetrate his veil of rage, and he held back his fist. Pete, who was somehow holding onto consciousness, smirked. Blood dribbled down his chin. 

"It's nice. . .t. . .to see you _huh-_haven't changed."

Pure hatred flashed in Lance's eyes. But as he delivered another blow Kitty phased through his chest, taking hold of Pete. Lance's fist went right through them. From Pete's mouth came garbled screeches of fright—he threw off Kitty's hand and fled, pulling along a semi-conscious Griff with him. They disappeared into the night, but neither Lance nor Kitty watched them go. Their eyes were locked in a tense moment that felt like an infinity. The boy glimpsed his reflection in her pupils and pulled away, disgusted with what he had seen in himself. He was trembling.

Lights began to turn on in the windows of a few nearby homes. It was no question that they had caused enough commotion to wake the neighbors. Gathering Lance, Kitty rushed him through the front door of their house and shut it before anyone looking out could recognize them. She idly wondered what they'd say when they saw the street upturned in the morning. 

Lance sunk in a chair in the living room with his head hanging low. He rubbed his knuckles, which were bleeding and scraped raw. Wordlessly Kitty went into the kitchen and took the first aid kit; within moments she was applying antiseptic and bandaging his hands.

The boy watched in wonder as she fussed over him and took care of his injuries. Her fingers were so soft and gentle. . .he couldn't help thinking that he didn't deserve any of it. He wanted to thank her, tell her how much she meant to him, but all that came out was…

"I should have killed those guys."

"Oh God_, please_ don't say anything like that!" 

"I should have. You…you don't understand. They were going to hurt you and your family just to hurt _me_! All of it was for hate's sake!"

"And beating them to death would have accomplished _what_? They're not worth it."

His voice was hoarse and weary. "But they'll just keep coming back!"

She stroked his cheek, looking into his eyes. "No, they won't. It's over, love."

Suddenly Lance wrapped his arms around her and pressed her against his body as if trying to merge them into one being. They could feel the frantic beatings of each other's hearts.

"I love you."

For Kitty, time seemed to stop as he whispered the words over and over again.

"I don't even love _myself_, Kitty, but I love you."

He felt her arms tighten around his body. The young mutants' senses were enflamed as they kissed madly and desperately. 

"I love you too," Kitty murmured huskily in his ear. "Lance…"

"Please…don't give up on me." 

Kitty began to respond, but quickly covered her mouth when she heard footsteps on the front staircase. The teens hastily parted just as Alexander and Rebecca marched downstairs.

"What is going on here?" Kitty's father demanded when he saw their flushed, guilty faces.

"Nothing, Daddy."

Rebecca, who had just dressed for bed, hurried over to her daughter's side, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she and her husband had caught the youths in a compromising position. 

"Honey, you're home so early!" she fussed. "You should have called us!"

Lance was tongue-tied, lowering his hands to try and hide the blood-splotched bandages. Her cheeks still bright pink, Kitty tried to explain. "Well, Mom, we didn't want to disturb you! And it was such a nice night that we really didn't mind walking, did we?" she turned to Lance.

"Oh no, not at all. We had a great time." _Smile and nod, smile and nod. . ._

Mrs. Pryde accepted their answers without question, but her husband looked ready to kill. 

"Kitty, we need to talk for a moment,"--his eyes darted to Lance--"Alone."

Gulping, the girl left her boyfriend's lap, giving him one last look. Lance's eyes seemed to say "it's all right" and she followed her parents into the kitchen with a growing feeling of unease. The door slammed shut behind them, leaving the rock-tumbler by himself.

Lance let out a deep breath as a shiver ran down his spine. He could hear the muted voices of Kitty and her father in the other room, though the words were too garbled to make out clearly. He could perceive a rise in Alexander's tone however, and guessed that the older man was mad. Slowly the minutes passed, and the pit in the boy's stomach grew. His curiosity getting the better of him, he left his seat and crept closer to the kitchen door in order to get an idea of what was going on.

He heard bits of Kitty's outraged voice: "--can't believe you'd do something like this--" 

Then, Alexander: "--had every right--"

"--won't listen to this--"

"--do as you're told--"

_"No!"_

Without warning Kitty phased through the door, looking absolutely livid. She didn't even notice that she had startled Lance, or that he was eavesdropping—she just ran to his side and let him put his arm around her. 

"There will be _none_ of that in my house, Katherine!" Mr. Pryde snapped after her, throwing open the door. He was angry enough already, but he was furious when he saw his daughter taking comfort from Lance. 

"_Don't touch her_, _you little scumbag!_"

Tightening his protective grip on Kitty, Lance snarled, "What did you say to me, old man?!"

"I know all about you, Alvers! You're nothing but a thief and a thug, and I'm not going to let you take advantage of my little girl!"

"You don't know what you're talking about!" yelled Kitty. "Lance would never hurt me!"

"My God, Katherine, don't be so naïve! You think he loves you? You think he'll stay with you after he gets what he wants? He's no good! Now, come here--!"

Kitty's father grabbed her arm and forcefully tried to pry her away from her boyfriend. Kitty phased out of his strong grip and Lance stepped in between her and Alexander. The man threw himself at the mutant, but he was pushed away and crashed into a table. Rebecca, who had been crying in the kitchen, screamed. 

Alexander picked himself off the floor, and looked at his only child. "Is this what you want?" his gaze shifted to Lance. "This _mongrel_ that brings violence into our home? I saw the fight outside on the street. No doubt those thugs were repaying a favor to your wonderful boyfriend."

"No!" Kitty shouted with all the power of her lungs. Tears stung her eyes. "That's not true, Dad. This is all a horrible misunderstanding. Please, just let me explain!"

"No!" Alexander pointed a finger at her, eyes flashing. "You will keep your mouth shut and go upstairs while I call the police! Then once this _piece of filth_ is locked away I'm taking you out of that goddamned school!"

"You can't!"

"Watch me!"

At that moment a peculiar expression flashed over Lance's face, as if he had made a decision. He stormed over to the nearest phone and, picking up the receiver, dialed a number.

"What are you doing?" Alexander demanded.

"Calling a cab. We're out of here."

"Right." Kitty's face glowed and she darted up the stairs. 

"Kitty!" Rebecca wailed, clutching the mantelpiece. In what felt like less than a minute the girl returned with both her and Lance's suitcases in tow.

"You're not going anywhere!" bellowed Mr. Pryde. He tried to snatch her arm again, but his fingers went right through her. She faced him, but in her blue eyes he didn't see the shy little girl who always did what Daddy said was best. She was older, more mature, a stranger to him. She was an X-Man, and she knew what she had to do. 

"You can't make my decisions any more," she firmly told him. "Please understand…I have to do what's right for _me_."

"Turning your back on your family is 'right?!'"

"My family is in Bayville."

Lance smirked, inadvertently turning Mr. Pryde's attention back in his direction.

"You're responsible for this!" he accused, ready to lunge on him again. But Kitty intervened by firmly taking her chosen companion's hand and phased them both through the front door. Kitty kept walking as her parents yelled after her and cursed the boy at her side. It was a struggle to keep walking down the street without looking back or showing any weakness, but finally she began to break down and sob. A reassuring arm wrapped around her shoulder as Lance sent a small tremor through the stately Pryde residence, temporarily silencing the screaming parents.

"They should really quiet down, you know," he remarked with a bitter laugh as the yellow cab pulled up beside them. The ravaged sidewalk that was his personal handiwork came into view. "They'll wake the whole neighborhood."

_* * * * *_

The young couple was dropped off at the local airport, planning on hopping the next available flight to Bayville. The place was bursting with people despite the holiday and late hour, and Kitty and Lance stuck closely together as he tried to buy a ticket.

"Well sir," said the operator as she checked the computer database, "We had a flight scheduled to leave for Bayville in two hours."

"Great! We'll take two tickets!" grinned Lance.

"I'm sorry, but it's been delayed due to a snow storm."

"Delayed?!" he drew back. "For how long?"

"Several hours I'm afraid, sir. Usually we wait until morning for these things to clear up, so it most likely won't be here until mid-morning tomorrow."

The boy cursed under his breath while Kitty gave a disappointed sigh. Now what would they do?

"Sir, you could check into the airport hotel for the night. According to my computer there are several vacancies left, and it beats sleeping on the floor _here_."

Lance and Kitty exchanged glances.

"We'll take it."

*** * * * ***

The hotel room occupied by Lance and Kitty was roomy and comfortable, with a big-screen TV, mini-bar, and sunken bathtub with shower. The available suites all had single beds, but neither of the teens minded. They had slept in the same bed before, after all. 

Kitty kicked off her shoes and fell atop the large mattress, burying her face in one of the lush feather pillows. Not only was she mentally and physically drained, she felt as if she could sleep for days. As much as she wanted to sleep peacefully and forget all her woes, one fear still gripped her.

"Do think my parents called the police?"

"Hmm?" Lance raised an eyebrow as he flung his jacket to the floor. "I don't know. Your dad was pretty pissed off."

"Maybe we shouldn't have checked in under our real names," she said nervously.

"I think we'll be all right for the night. Don't worry, we'll be back at the Institute in a few hours and this will all be behind us."

Suddenly Kitty had an idea. "The Professor! We should call him!"

Lance rubbed the back of his neck and his shoulder. The area was still tender from the baseball bat's brutal hit. "Really?"

She nodded. "Yup! We should give him a warning if my parents really are going to call the police on us, or at the very least let him know that we're coming."

The boy thought about how creepy Xavier could be, and how he probably already knew they were on their way back to New York. But Kitty _needed_ reassurance.

"All right, give him a ring. He'll know exactly what to do. As for me, I'm gonna take a shower." He leaned over and kissed her check softly. "It's going to be all right, Kitty."

"I know."

*** * * * ***

The shower felt great. The hot water cleansed his body of the dirt and grime he had accumulated over the long day, and it seemed to refresh his soul as well. He stepped out of the steamy bathroom in his jeans with a towel flung over his shoulders, his long hair dripping wet. He felt quite good until he saw his girlfriend hunched over the bed, whispering into the phone as tears streamed down her face. She then hung up and jumped a little when she saw Lance standing in the bathroom doorway. 

"What's wrong?" he asked, rushing to her side.

"That was my mother," she sniffled.

"She knows where we are?!"

"No…when you went to take a shower I was about to call Xavier when _he_ called _here_. He said that Cerebro detected us using our powers at home and wanted to make sure everything was all right. I told him the whole story and, like, he said that he would 'take care of it'. Maybe I'm being silly, but just the way he said it made me want to call home. I told Mom that we're okay, and then she said that the strangest thing had happened. My father drove off after us to trail the cab, but he came back only a few minutes later and went to bed without saying a word to her. Mom said he looked dazed, or in a trance. . .you don't think it could have been the Professor, do you?"

"It sounds like a telepath's doing. I wouldn't be surprised if your dad's now my number-one fan."

"If only," said Kitty wistfully, wiping a tear off her cheek. "But I don't want to go back to make sure. I don't want to go back at all. I just want to go home--to Bayville."

Lance nodded, sitting next to her on the bed and taking her hand. "But please tell me, what did your father say to you in the kitchen that caused this mess?"

Kitty frowned. "Dad thought it was his, like, fatherly duty to do a background check on my boyfriend. He told me all these horrible things about you and your family then forbid me to see you."

"Horrible things? About me and…my parents?"

"Yeah. He told me they were scum, and that you weren't any better. Then he talked about things you did with your gang…"

"I'm sorry to say this, but anything he told you about me was probably true."

"I already know, Lance. You told me bits about your past before, and I don't care _what_ you've done! I just wish I had heard it all from _you_ instead of _him_."

He closed his eyes. "I should have been honest with you a long time ago. Then you wouldn't have had to go through all this."    

"I'll live. It's just, like, he had no right to snoop around your private life and talk about you like that!"

"And he had no right to try to keep you under his thumb. But at least he did it all out of love. There are some parents who wreck their kids' lives out of spite. Like mine."

"I heard you tell Dad your father passed away."

"Well, it's _possible_ he did. I don't really know."

"You don't know if your own father is dead?" she whispered in astonishment.

"They haven't been heard from in years. Can't say I care whether they bought the big one or not. To Andrea and Dominic I was always more of a nuisance than a son."

Kitty wanted to ask, "how can you say that so casually?" but she understood. Pain and rejection from the ones closest to him was something he was all too accustomed to. 

"Lance, you know that I'm always here for you, right?"

"Yeah. You know I love you, right?"

She giggled. "Yeah."

"So let's stop talking about depressing stuff. It's Christmas--well, it is for another forty minutes. I have a present for you."

"Me too."

Lance left the bed to rummage through his suitcase while Kitty fetched her own gift. They hopped on the bed facing each other, both excited. He handed her a small gold-wrapped box.   
            

"I'm sorry I'm giving this to you on the wrong holiday and that there's only one gift. I totally didn't know there were eight _days_ of Hanukah till Kurt burst my bubble."

"It's all right, really! I'm sure I'll love it." She then unwrapped the paper and opened the tiny box. Inside was a necklace of the Star of David.  Its smooth, silver surface glittered in the light. 

"It's beautiful!" she gushed.

Wearing a proud smile, Lance fastened it around her neck. "I'm glad you like it."

"Now, open yours."

Obeying his lady's command, Lance shredded the snowflake-print wrapping paper and opened a red box, revealing a long black wool scarf.

"Do you like it? I thought you must be cold wearing nothing but your old leather jacket in the winter."

"It's great," he said truthfully, taking it and feeling the soft material between his fingers. On the tag he saw that Kitty's feminine cursive had lovingly written his name. "It's really the best Christmas gift I've ever gotten."            

He thanked her with a long kiss.

*** * * * ***

Kitty slept like a baby that night, cuddled up under the covers of the king-size bed beside her boyfriend, with the necklace he had given her still around her neck and Lancelot under one arm. She had just started a rather pleasant dream when a peculiar sound invaded her thoughts, stirring her awake. 

_What is that? _thought Kitty groggily, trying to block out the noise by covering her head with a pillow. But it persisted in keeping the girl awake until, having come to her senses, she realized that the sounds were coming from the body next to her. Peering at him, she made out his dark shape curled up at the edge of the bed, covering his face to muffle himself.

She turned over and touched his shoulder. "Lance?" she whispered gently. He pulled away, still covering his face. It was then that Kitty realized he had been crying.

"Are you okay? What is it?"

The worry in her voice was heart wrenching. He couldn't tell her about his nightmare—that he had been a little boy again, at the mercy of his unloving parents and uncaring social workers. That he was being beaten by Jerry the Bully again--like he had been when his powers first emerged--only Jerry morphed into Pete, and then his father Dominic, the worst of all. Gripped by fear, the youth had tried to fight back, but was overwhelmed. He had no mutant to protect himself with. He was too small and too weak to fight the demons with faces from his past. And there was nothing—no one—that could save him.

Upon awaking in a cold sweat, all the feelings and memories that Lance had buried deep within his heart broke to the surface and overtook him. There was no more rage left inside, only a deep and penetrating sorrow. Kitty wanted to help him, but there seemed to be no way to translate his pain into words. All he could do was weep.

Kitty placed her hands on his, revealing his tear-stained face. Moved, she wrapped her arms around his body and pressed him against her. His head resting upon her breast, she caressed his cheek and whispered nothings in his ear.

"It's all right, baby, it's all right," she murmured softly. "Let it out."

He was ashamed that she had seen his display of weakness, but didn't fight her embrace. Instead, he melted into it, holding onto her as tightly as she held him.

"I try. . .I try so hard. . .but the more I hold it back the more it spills out," said Lance, squeezing his eyes shut.

"You demand so much of yourself. Just relax. I'm here, and I won't leave you." To emphasize that point, she lightly kissed his forehead. Her lips traveled down his face, brushing both of his closed eyes and wiping away the tears. Finally she kissed his lips, and he responded by kissing her back. It was a firm, passionate kiss, and a fire had been lit inside Lance. A fire fueled not just by desire, but a powerful _need_ for which there was only one cure.

Kitty's feelings of desire were rising to the surface as well. Her cheeks were flushed, and she broke away for a bit of air before smiling and kissing him again. Their tongues met and danced; it was a delicious sensation for both of them. The boy's hand moved up and down her back before sliding around her waist. It rested there a few moments, lightly tickling her side, then inched up under her pink nightshirt. A tiny gasp escaped her lips as his long fingers explored her, but she did not break from the embrace. Instead, she took hold of the edges of Lance's undershirt and tried to pull it over his head, but their position on the bed made it difficult. With a small grunt Lance sat up and raised his arms, allowing her to remove the offending garment.

Kitty's heart beat faster at the sight of his nude torso. She had seen him without his shirt before, but it hadn't been like this. He drew her to him, and she pressed herself against his body as he covered her face in soft kisses. His skin was so hot it felt as if a single touch could burn her, and she wouldn't mind at all if it did. Lance's fingers ran through her hair and pulled away the tie that held it atop her head, letting her sleek brown tresses tumble down her shoulders. He whispered her name in her ear before moving his lips downward, toward her neck. 

"Oh!" Kitty cried in surprise as he gave her an affectionate love bite. She held back more giggles as he continued to kiss and nibble her sensitive skin, and suddenly found herself wanting more. It was her turn to take Lance by surprise by falling back down on the bed and taking him with her.

Lance flashed a smile as she took his face in her hands and brought their lips together once more. She was so very beautiful. He felt more sharp pangs of yearning when Kitty's legs wrapped around his waist, locking him in an embrace he had no desire to leave. He knew she could feel his arousal pressed against her thigh…they were moving so fast…did she want to finish this?

Their gazes locked.

"Love me," she whispered desperately.

"Kitty, I…are you sure?" asked Lance between heavy breaths.

"Yes. Are you?"

"Yes."

And no more words were said.

* * * * *

The young mutants of the Brotherhood of Bayville Boarding House were all asleep, and the large dwelling was completely silent minus the heavy sounds of Fred's snoring. Yet the two elder mutants inside Mystique's grand chambers remained awake and alert, for they were discussing important matters.

"Rogue was quite happy to see you, Irene, just as I imagined she would be," said Mystique as she poured hot herbal tea into two sterling silver goblets. Her tone was quiet, subdued, and almost gentle. Her blind friend was one of the precious few who could bring out any softness in the hardened fighter. 

"It was good to see her." Sitting in a gorgeously ornate chair that had been stolen from a French palace, Irene brought the goblet to her lips and drank. The steaming brew burned her tongue and the roof of her mouth, but it was a good sort of pain. Kept her sharp. "I've seen her in my visions."

"What does the future say?"

"Her faith in our cause is wavering. She is beginning to suspect you, and you won't be able to hide the truth from her for much longer. Also, she is _smitten_ with Xavier's strongest follower. I believe you know him by the name of Scott Summers."

Mystique hissed, "_Summers?!_ I won't let that over-righteous Boy Scout pollute her mind with Xavier's foolish dreams! We _shall not_ lose her!"

"It's that attitude that's driving her away. Rogue fears that she's nothing more than a weapon to you."

"That is preposterous," the shape-shifter huffed.

Irene faced Mystique. Impossible as it seemed, she looked as if she was staring into her companion's very soul. 

"Perhaps." A beat. "You know, of course, that I did not come here just to talk about our daughter."

Mystique nodded. "The time is coming, isn't it? After all these months of lying in wait. I only stopped pursuing the boy because of your predictions." 

"I know, Raven. Soon enough we will strike, and the child of rage shall be our acting hand. Xavier's world will crumble."

"—And that which we seek shall be ours. Our. . .benefactor. . .will be most pleased to hear your words."

"Yes. It is imperative that Magneto be alerted that the Mindcoil is awake. . .and _aware_."

*** * * * ***

In the depths of the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters, in a secret chamber shrouded in total darkness, something lived. It began to twitch and move in its watery prison as if something had disturbed it. Had there been light in the chamber, a strange gray blob resembling a human brain would be seen floating in a tank of amniotic fluid, a variety of wires and tubes connected to its misshapen form.

It had no mouth to speak from, yet words came from the entity known only as the Mindcoil.

**I have a name. . .and a voice. . .now I need a body.**

* * * * * * * * * * * *  

To Be Continued…

* * * * * * * * * * * * 

**Author's Notes:** At last the fic lives up to its PG-13 rating! This chapter was a lot of fun to write, since I'm a major fan of angst, fluff, and the occasional smut. I assure you that the sex isn't completely gratuitous, as it will affect the plot (and before anyone asks: no, Kitty isn't pregnant :p ) The seeds have been planted for a possible Scott/Rogue romance as well, that came about after watching several early episodes and asking myself, "What would happen if Scott just got over Miss Perfect?" This was also my first attempt at writing Rogue's accent, so please let me know if I did a terrible job. -_- Oh, and the idea for Lance's gift to Kitty came from issue nine of the short-lived Evo comic, wherein Kitty wears a Star of David necklace. 

So, what is the Mindcoil? How is it connected to Magneto and Xavier? What did Destiny foresee, and just what are Mystique's plans for Lance? Keep reading to find out! (And, as always, please review!) ~Sandoz


	10. The Calm Before The Storm

**Chapter 10: The Calm Before The Storm**

Kitty's eyelids slowly fluttered open as the rays of the early morning sun peeked in through the hotel room window. Having awakened, she sat up and stretched her arms, her eyes straying towards the lover who shared her bed.

Lance, a notoriously heavy sleeper, was snoring softly with his head against the pillow, thoroughly spent from their night together. The wrinkled sheets had twisted around his lower body, exposing some very delicious skin. Kitty smirked, enjoying the view. The girl then nestled down beside him, resting her head on his shoulder, and studied his body. It was beautiful to be sure, from the handsome facial features to the firm, lean muscles, but it was not flawless. His flesh bore many scars. Some were small and fine, while other marks were jagged and puckered and spoke of grave injuries long past. It seemed sadly fitting that someone with so many scars on his psyche should have physical ones to match. 

Kitty's soft fingertips gently traced the marks on his body, as if committing them to memory. Before long, she drifted back to sleep.

*** * * **

When Kitty awoke for the second time, it was to the sound of a phone ringing. The shrill noise startled Lance as well, and the groggy mutant groped for the receiver on the nearby nightstand.

"Yeah, this is him. . .uh-huh…sure, thanks." He then slammed it back down on the cradle.

"Who was that?" Kitty inquired with a yawn.

"Hotel wake-up call. Our flight's gonna be coming in about two hours."

"Yay."

Lance rubbed his eyes, a faint smile lighting up his features.

"Good morning." 

"'Mornin'," she replied, stroking his arm. "Pleasant dreams?"

"Oh yes."

Kitty's tousled hair fell loosely about her shoulders, framing her heart-shaped face. Her silver necklace hung just above the swell of her breasts, and besides that, she wore nothing else. Looking at her, Lance was reminded of his own nudity, and thoughts of their recent lovemaking danced in his mind. 

Their hands touched. Then the rock-tumbler softly asked, "How do you feel?"

"I'm all right," she answered. Her first time hadn't hurt as much as she had expected from all the bathroom talk at school. There was only a small soreness in between her legs, and the pleasure of the act had definitely outweighed the pain. "How are you?"

"Peachy."

They leaned in for the first kiss of the morning, and while brief, the embrace was enough to stir Lance's desires. 

_No, no, none of that_, he chastised himself mentally. "Do you want to shower first, so should I?" he offered, imagining how frigid the water would have to be to properly cool him down.

"You can go ahead."

He obeyed, but not before another quick peck on the lips. Inside the bathroom Lance let the water run until it reached the temperature he liked, and his gaze fell upon the mirror above the sink. His eyes were somewhat sleepy, his hair disheveled, and his face seemed to be flushed with a distinctive glow. 

_Did last night really happen?_

It was far too good to be true. Sleeping with Kitty had been one of his most intimate, private dreams, and the reality had been as wonderful as the fantasies. He stepped into the shower remembering her hot breath on his neck and the softness of her skin. His mind was far away when the figure crept silently into the bathroom and pulled away the curtain, joining him. Lance's eyes went wide as Kitty slipped her arms around his waist and pressed her face to his back.

"Could we…maybe…take a bath together?" 

*** * * **

Thousands of miles away, Scott was mulling over a dream he had that previous night. At least, he _thought_ it was dream. He remembered very little about it, save a strange voice that had spoken to him. 

_What did it say_? the boy wondered as he dressed. _Something about a game? No…a name. 'I have a name.' And there was more to it…_

"Why is this bugging me so much?" he asked his reflection in the mirror, frustrated. Perhaps it was because the vision had awoken him with a start, leaving a strange throbbing in his temples. Or perhaps it was the voice itself that troubled him, for he thought it had sounded oddly familiar.

Scott's thoughts drifted from dreams to reality when he picked up his wallet from the top of his desk and saw the small paper fortune that had been slipped inside. It dawned on him that a half-forgotten dream was really the least of his worries. 

As far as he knew, his luncheon with Rogue was their secret. But would it stay that way? 

Xavier had informed Scott of the alteration of Kurt's thoughts after the incident with Tabitha and the Brotherhood. He had assured the boy that it was for Kurt's protection, but it hadn't sat well with him. The thought of his mentor altering his attitude towards Rogue was not the least bit pleasant, but the two situations weren't exactly the same, were they? While Kurt was a sweet soul, he was foolish enough to be blinded by his heart and taken advantage of. Scott was perfectly in control of his emotions, and he was only trying to win Rogue's confidence. He _certainly_ didn't have feelings for her. Not at all. And the Professor should have enough faith in him to know that a friendship with the lonesome goth would be no threat to the X-Men. 

Running a brush through his reddish-brown hair, Scott thought, _There's nothing to worry about. I'll see Rogue when school starts again, smile, and say hi. And maybe she'll say hi and smile back. _

He stopped still as an image of Rogue's gently smiling face appeared in his mind's eye. Guiltily shaking the pretty picture from his head he left his room just as the mansion's front door flew open.

"Whew, that wind is brutal!" Jean Grey laughed as she threw off her wool knit cap, letting the air run through her flowing red locks.

Scott looked down from the stairs in a state of total disbelief. "Jean! You're back!"

She tilted her head up and grinned. "A big case came up at Mother's law firm and I decided to make an early trip back, since she'd be busy." Truth be told, she was a little disappointed that her sudden return hadn't garnered a better response from the young Mr. Summers. "Didn't you miss me?"

"Oh yeah. Of course, Jean. It's been really quiet around here." Suddenly he felt incredibly guilty over his and Rogue's secret. It was almost as if he had been _cheating_ on Jean, though that was ridiculous. _What's wrong with me?_

"It's about to become even less quiet," said Xavier with a thin, knowing smile while he wheeled into the hall. "Welcome back, my dear."

"Hello, Professor. What did you mean, 'it's about to become even less quiet?'"

"Lance and Kitty are making a premature return as well."

"Why? Did things not go over well with her parents?" Scott inquired.

"He probably knocked down their house," muttered the bitter redhead. 

"Everything's all right. I've seen to that. But our little couple have come to realize where exactly their true home is."

*** * * **

"Are there ever times when you just want to get away from. . .everything?"

"Hmm?" Kitty tilted her head towards her lover. He leaned back against the marble tub, making the hot, sudsy water rise to the top of the basin. Kitty was nestled between his legs, wrapped in his arms.

"Things have been so screwed up lately," mused the boy.  "With Jean and Scott constantly on my back, the Brotherhood after my hide, and now my old pals trying to kill me, I don't really feel like being a part of Xavier's great 'cause.' It hardly seems worth it anymore."

"You want to live a normal life."

He nodded. "I want to live with you without the Queen of Mean breathing down our necks or enemy mutants trying to kick our ass. I just want…to get _away_."

The girl sighed deeply. "It would be nice. . ."

"Run away with me."

Kitty's expression became troubled. "Lance, we can't. We belong at the Institute. We're needed there."

"Then, when this 'war' is finally over. . .will you go away with me? To a place that's just ours?"

She closed her eyes and let the warmth of his body soothe her. This was right. More right than anything else.

"Yes."

*** * * **

"Freddy, tell me somethin', will ya?" 

Todd Tolensky threw his cards on the living room's coffee table, a disgruntled look on his face. Fred, who had just won a round of Go Fish, looked at him curiously.

"If we're the _Brother_hood, why is it that there are now more girls than guys here? We might as well call ourselves the _Sister_hood, and that ain't exactly gonna stir up fear in our enemies, is it?"

"I guess not," Fred responded quietly. "But it's not so bad. Destiny is kind of nice. Way nicer than Mystique." He frowned as he remembered the relentless training their blue-skinned leader had put them through all winter break. 

Todd looked from side to side, making sure his humongous companion was the only one in earshot, then said, "Actually, she kinda gives me the creeps. With those glasses and all it seems like she's always staring at me. Freaky."

"Todd!" gasped Fred, shocked at his rudeness. "She's blind!"

"But not deaf," Irene said flatly as she appeared in the living room. Both boys went stiff as she walked past them and out the back. When the screen door slammed shut, Fred pelted Todd's green-tinted arm.

"Dummy!" he scowled.

Outside on the back porch, Rogue lay across the swing, a dog-eared copy of _Dracula_ in her lap. She looked up at the figure that broke her reverie, but turned her gaze away when she saw whom it was. 

"Good morning," said her former foster mother. 

"Not really," was the cold reply.

"Something's troubling you." 

"Yeah, you could say that."

The blind mutant took a seat beside the younger girl. "I know what this is about. I know _who_ this is about."

Rogue's hazel eyes flashed. "You--!"

"For me, the present is shrouded in darkness, but the future is amazingly bright. I knew of your affection for the X-Man long before you did…and there is nothing to be ashamed of."

"Ah'm sure Mystique would disagree with you."

"Indeed. Rogue, I can understand why you'd be drawn to someone like Summers. He's warm, open, and our enemy. You cannot forget that."

"Ah haven't…but Irene, why did you lie to me? The X-Men aren't mutant hunters. They wanted to help me, not hurt me, so why the deception?"

Irene's lips pressed into a small frown. "There was no time to explain the truth. But it was important that we not lose you to Xavier's side."

" 'Lose me'? What am ah, some kinda pawn in Mystique's tricks? Ah thought you cared about me!"

"We _do_, honey, we _do_. But you must understand that Charles Xavier is a fool. His dream of a peaceful future for mutants and humans is just that—a dream. His followers are blind, deluded. A war is coming…and they shall perish for their naïve beliefs."

Rogue closed her eyes. "So tell me…is that what you've seen in the future?"

The only answer she received was silence.

*** * ***

Kitty's hand clutched the Star of David around her neck, her fingers brushing each silver point. Studying her reflection in the mirror, she observed that on the outside, she hadn't changed at all. Her long brunette hair was in a ponytail, her only makeup strawberry lip-gloss, and her slim, girlish figure was dressed in a white top and blue jeans. She definitely looked like the old Kitty Pryde.

But the girl had changed _inside_. She had been made a young woman not only by losing her virginity, but also by turning her back on Northbrook for a much bigger world. A world with _him_. 

In the mirror she could see him across the room, pulling his torn jeans around his hips. His still damp hair clung to his neck, tiny droplets of water running down the hollow of his back. Unaware that he was being watched so intently, Lance was, at that moment, the most wonderful thing Kitty had ever seen.

_Please, let me have made the right choice_, Kitty prayed, taking her eyes from the mirror. Lost in her thoughts, she was startled by strong arms enveloping her from behind.

"What's wrong?" 

Kitty suddenly noticed the tears on her cheek.

"Nothing…I guess I'm just…not…" Her words faded.

Shutting his eyes, Lance pressed his face against her soft hair. He had hoped by her happy demeanor earlier that morning that things were all right. He hated to think that he had been wrong. His next words were difficult to say. "Did I hurt you?"

The tears were flowing freely now, and Kitty couldn't control it. She shook her head, her voice a whisper. "You were so gentle…but it wasn't your first time, was it?"

"No."

"But, Lindsey…" 

"I didn't lie to you, Kitty. I never slept with Lindsey. But like I said, it wasn't because I was pure or noble…I just couldn't stand the slut. As hot as she was, she only wanted me because I made a good accessory, and I refused to be some toy for her. I admit that there were other girls in my life," he felt his stomach clench as he stirred unpleasant memories of sweaty, unfulfilling encounters in the back of his jeep. "But it was just two stupid people acting like animals, trying to be part of something, I don't know, _bigger_ than them. That isn't love. That's not even _like_."

Lance swallowed. He felt the small shiver run through Kitty's body, and wanted nothing more than to hold her for as long as he could and make everything okay. What good was he if he couldn't protect her?

"Kitty, I _do_ love you. I want to run away and build a _life_ with you. And I've never made love to anyone before you."

A murmur escaped Kitty's lips, and she wiped away the moisture on her flushed, tear-stained face. 

//My God, Katherine, don't be so naïve! You think he loves you? You think he'll stay with you after he gets what he wants? He's no good!//

_You were wrong, Dad_, she thought, gripping the silver star. She slowly turned around in her lover's arms and brought her lips to his. After a tender moment they parted, one last sentence on Kitty's lips.

"Let's go home."

*** * ***

"It's good to be back."

"Mmm-hmm," Kitty nodded in agreement as she and Lance walked through the mansion's front door. After their tumultuous stay in Northbrook, it felt good to be safe at the Institute at last.

"We're home!" Lance announced their presence to the seemingly empty mansion, letting go of the heavy suitcases he had been carrying and stretching his weary limbs.

Scott strolled into the hall from the den, wearing a welcoming smile. "Hey, you guys," he greeted. "Safe flight back?"

"Yep," Kitty said as she removed her coat and hung it up in the hall closet. "Crowded, though. It seemed like everyone and their mother was in a rush to get home."

"So, where's everyone else?" Lance asked Scott. 

"Kurt, Ororo, and Evan are still away, and Logan's doing his own thing. Jean's back, but right now she's out with Duncan," he said with a sour expression. "The Professor should be in his study."

"Oh," murmured Kitty. "I've got to go talk with him about something." She picked up her suitcase and gave Lance a peck on the lips. "See you in a bit, love."

"All right, Kit," Lance responded, knowing what her early departure was about. Scott watched her flight up the stairs with a raised eyebrow. He then glanced at Lance, who had been watching her as well. There seemed to be something…_different_ about them. He couldn't quite place it, but Lance and Kitty had seemed more _in tune_ with each other, as if they were closer than ever.

Scott grinned, and crossed his arms over his chest. "So, Alvers, _did_ you knock down their house?"

Lance glared.

*** * * **

Charles Xavier sat facing the roaring fire in his dimly lit study, his superior brain contemplating each crackling ember, every wisp of dark smoke. He felt a presence outside preparing to knock on the door and spoke. 

"You can come in, Kitty."

"Yikes, Professor. It always, like, freaks me out when you do that," she chuckled nervously as she entered.

"My apologies." His wheelchair turned in order to face the girl. "I trust you and Lance had a safe journey back?"

"Oh yeah, we did. Everything was fine."

"Good. Now, is there something you want to discuss with me?"

Kitty bit her lip. "Sort of. It was more of a question, really. I wanted to know if you, well, erased my parents' memories last night."

"'Erase' is such a strong word, but yes, I did alter their thoughts. As far as they know, your father never uncovered those documents about Lance, and the fight never occurred. They think you returned here early because _I _asked you to."

Averting his even gaze, Kitty sighed. "But…was that really necessary?"

Xavier seemed mildly surprised. "Of course. No harm has come to them, my child, I assure you. They are fine and happy, and you are free to stay here and continue your relationship with Lance without their interference. Isn't that what you want?"

"Yes, Professor. I'm glad things are okay, _really_ I am, but I just wish there had been some other way."

Noting the uncertainty in her voice, Xavier took on a fatherly tone. "Occasionally there are times when unpleasant things must be done for the greater good. I hope you understand."

She nodded. "I do. Thank you, Professor."

"Take care, Kitty."

The girl then left the study, somehow less than comforted. 

*** *** *** **

"So, would anyone like to explain the symbolism of the rose bush in _The Scarlet Letter?"_

The English teacher's words bounced off Scott's ears as the first day back at school stretched on. Normally a very attentive student, he found himself losing focus as a myriad of thoughts vied for his mind's attention. His gaze shifted from the surface of his desk to a figure that sat across the room. Her chin rested on one gloved hand, eyes watching a breeze blow through the bare trees outside. Scott didn't know how long he was looking at her, but he was startled when her head turned, catching him in the act. He wouldn't blame her for scowling, or turning away—hell, he would have expected it—but instead he saw the faintest of smiles upon her violet lips. 

Much later, as the other students filed out of class, the boy lingered at his desk as Rogue passed, then put his hand on her arm, staying her.

"Could we talk for a sec?" he asked gently, not at all sounding like the stern, ever-confident leader of the X-Men.

Rogue gulped, glancing around the classroom. They were all alone, but being with him when Principal Darkholme or the members of the Brotherhood could easily be nearby made her uneasy. 

"Just for a sec." 

Jean Grey strolled down the hall with the usual bounce in her step, and passed by one of the English classrooms on her way to lunch. Spying Scott in the corner of her eye, the redhead thought to call his name, but stopped short when she saw whom he was talking to. She quickly moved out of sight, though not out of earshot.

"I've been thinking a lot about Christmas."

"Yeah." Rogue brushed a white strand of hair behind her ear, trying not to blush and give her feelings away. "Me too."

"Has it…changed anything between us?"

"What d'you mean?"

"I don't want to be your enemy, Rogue. I've been wondering about what you said right before you left. You know, that you knew that we didn't really attack you. So why…?"

Rogue cut him off. "--Did ah join the Brotherhood?" One look told her that she had guessed correctly. "It's…kinda hard to explain. When mah powers first manifested, mah mind was a mess. Ah didn't know who ah was or what was happenin', except that strange people were out to get me. Irene—the woman who raised me—sent me to Mystique, so ah believed she was mah friend. D'you remember when ah touched Avalanche an' Storm that night?"

Scott nodded.

"Ah absorbed their memories, an' later, much later, when ah was sane enough to try to put together all the weird stuff floatin' around mah brain, ah saw that the X-Men weren't mutant hunters. Storm had no memories about attackin' me, an' Mystique can take on any appearance she wants, so it wasn't long before ah put two an' two together."

Scott Summers was silent for a moment as he took in the revelation. Then, he made a decision. 

"Join the X-Men."

Rogue's eyes went wide in shock. "What?"

"You know Mystique lied to you, so why should you remain with her? She'll only use you!"

"Yeah, like your precious professor's never lied to _you_."

Scott stiffened. "He hasn't! Professor X would never do something like that. He trusts us, Rogue, and together we're all trying to make a better life for mutants everywhere."

//_Charles Xavier is a fool. His followers are blind, deluded…and they will die for their naïve beliefs_.//

Rogue's hands clenched into fists as Irene's powerful statement echoed in her thoughts. She felt the sting of tears behind her eyes and pushed Scott roughly away.

"Just leave me alone!" she cried, storming out of the room.

The mouth that had been creased into a frown turned to a smile when Scott burst out of the classroom, and Jean latched onto his arm tightly before he could stalk off after the goth.

"Scott! What are you doing?" 

He was about to let out a curse for being pulled away, but instantly mellowed when he looked into Jean's green orbs. "Jean…! I was just--"

"Talking to Rogue, I know," said the telepath in obvious disapproval. "Trying one last-ditch attempt to reach her?"

"It wasn't a 'last-ditch' attempt. I think I'm really on the verge of converting her to our side."

Arm-in-arm, the redhead led Scott away from the English room. She said in her wisest, most thoughtful tone of voice, "You shouldn't waste your time with her, Scott. The Brotherhood is a rotten bunch; _everyone_ knows what bad attitudes they have."

"Rogue doesn't have a bad attitude."

The girl tensed as she heard the defensive edge in his voice. "You know, just before things blew up, it really sounded like the sullen little goth girl was _flirting_ with you."

Suddenly Scott stopped, dropping her arm. "Jean! What is _with_ you?"

"That's _my_ line! Don't you remember what happened to poor Kurt? Get mixed up with her, and bad things will happen."

Scott took a deep breath. He hated to fight with her. Even with her brow furrowed and lips turned in a scowl, Jean was still painfully beautiful. "So you're saying that we should just stop trying?"

His companion sighed before reaching for his hand. "No…but there are some people even _you_ can't help, Scott Summers."

"I refuse to believe that."

Jean was stunned as he pulled away from her touch, his final sentence hanging in the air like a cloud before a tempest. 

"X-Men don't give up."

*** * * **

Tabitha Smith tapped her booted foot incessantly on the cafeteria floor as she stood in line for chicken-fried steak. The school's food was horribly bad, but the blonde endured since it was almost guaranteed that lunch would be her only hot meal of the day. Standing still squeezed between two obnoxious freshmen for nearly fifteen minutes made her all the more miserable, and she sneered when she heard a string of lighthearted giggles behind her.

Kitty was laughing with a trio of girls from her geometry class as she entered the crowded lunchroom. Covering her mouth with a dainty hand she laughed, "Omigod, I totally cannot believe she would, like, _say_ something like that!"

"Like, Omigod!" Tabitha cocked her head to the side, mocking Kitty in a vacuous falsetto. The dark-haired X-Man looked over her shoulder and shot an angry glare but said nothing. Tabitha was almost disappointed that she hadn't annoyed her more. Kitty turned away, waved goodbye to her friends, and hurried over to a table in a faraway corner to join her boyfriend. Tabitha watched the mutants share a brief kiss and felt a pain in her gut.

Minutes later she pushed past chatting students to the Brotherhood's usual cafeteria spot, tray firmly in hand. Immediately upon sitting down she was accosted by Pietro Maximoff.

"Checking out Lance Alvers and his little Kitty-Cat?" he asked snidely. Todd snickered beside him.

Tabitha rolled her eyes, idly picking at the steak on her plate with her fork. "No," was her flat reply.

To her surprise, Pietro left it at that. The silver-coiffed speedster leaned back in his chair with his hands resting behind his head, a frown twisting his impish face. "I can't believe Mystique wants us to go after him again. We have all the members we need, plus our own personal powerhouse--" he eyed Rogue, who looked away, "--and I'd sooner shave my head than work on the same team as that loser."

"Yeah, I don't get it either," spoke up Todd. "It's like the boss lady is fixated or somethin', and it busts my chops that she don't tell us anything."

Tabitha smirked as she looked up from her meal, a devilish spark in her eye. "You usually don't convert a guy to your side by tricking him and beating him up. If _I_ had been in the Brotherhood back then, he would be with us right now and the Big Blue Bitch would be off our backs."

"What are ya saying?" asked Fred, who quirked an eyebrow. 

Rogue slapped her forehead. _Here we go…_

The blonde bombshell leaned forward, batting her blue eyes at her big-boned teammate. "My methods of persuasion are much more productive than beating him over the head with a club, Neanderthal." 

As if on cue, Lance got up from his seat and strolled toward the vending machines without any of the X-Freaks nearby. Tabby's gaze shifted from him to the curious eyes of the Brotherhood. "Watch and learn," she purred, standing up and strutting off in his direction.

"Oh, this is going to be classic," Todd chortled.

*** * * **

Lance faced his old nemesis, the soda machine. Humming the Kylie Minogue song that Kitty had insisted on turning up during their ride to school, he sent a tiny tremor through the battered apparatus, forcing it to give up two cans when he was sure no one was looking. He never heard Tabitha slink up behind him.

"Hey, nice technique," she complimented, taking in his features. The rugged rebel look was definitely working for him. Flashing a grin she formed one of her little cherry bombs in the palm of her hand and flung it in the coin slot. It rumbled as the bomb inside exploded, coins and soda cans spilling out of it like a Las Vegas slot machine. "What do you think of mine?"

The rock-tumbler merely shrugged as he took a swig of his drink. If his indifference ruffled the Brotherhood girl's feathers she gave no sign. She picked up a handful of change from the floor, stuffed it in her back pocket, and remarked, "Breaking rules and appliances. You'd fit right in at our place."

"Yeah, like I'd _want_ to."

He began to walk away, but she was persistent. Ever aware of her teammates eyes watching her, she latched onto Lance and whispered, "Come on, don't be like that. The Brotherhood can really party…and I know that little kitten can't _possibly_ satisfy you like a Tabby can." With a wink she ran one hand down his chest, pressing her shapely body against his. "You can rock my world anytime."

She thought she had really stunned the mutant speechless when he didn't immediately reply. Her smug smirk soon disappeared, as Lance suddenly burst into a fit of sidesplitting laughter. He roughly threw off her arms and left her there, returning to the table where Kitty waited for him.

Utterly humiliated, Tabitha was overwhelmed with anger. At that moment there was more uproarious laughter, and her head tilted towards the Brotherhood's table, where Pietro, Todd, and Fred could barely contain themselves.

"Oh, don't let him get you down, Tabby-Kins," said Pietro with a hand placed dramatically over his heart, "_You_ can rock _my_ world anytime!"

Todd puckered up, his green tongue wagging. "Let's party, baby!" 

Growling, Tabitha turned on her heel to flee the cafeteria, only to find herself face to face with the last person she wanted to witness that display. 

"Vell, dat vas very attractive," remarked Kurt Wagner with a look of disgust. "Did you try to rob Lance before putting ze moves on him?"

"No!" she insisted, wounded by the cold look in the tawny eyes that had once held nothing but affection towards her. "Look, it wasn't like that—I was trying to--" _Seduce his teammate? Make him join the enemy? You're screwed, Tabby!_

"Vhatever it is, I don't vant to hear it," the boy snapped, brushing past her. 

Tabitha grabbed his arm, pleading, "Please, _Blue_--!"

His head turned swiftly, and he fixed her with a gaze that made her feel positively wretched. 

"You have _no right_ to call me zat."

Feeling the life drain out of her, the blonde felt Kurt slip his arm out of her suddenly nerveless grip. She was already forgotten by the time he made it to the X-Geeks' table, where he was greeted by the mutants who had always welcomed him. The sounds of Scott and Kurt's friendly voices were then drowned out by more wicked laughter from the Brotherhood.

The food on Rogue's plate went cold as she silently witnessed Tabitha's disastrous seduction of Lance and Kurt's rebuke. The boys sitting with her were clutching their sides as they hollered, completely unaffected by the girl's pain and humiliation. She finally stood when Tabitha fled the cafeteria, throwing her napkin on the table. Silencing her teammates with a piercing scowl, Rogue left.

*** * * **

Rogue didn't know why she went after Tabitha. They couldn't be called friends by any stretch of the imagination, as the blonde's boisterous personality usually clashed with her more somber attitude. If they were human and able to lead perfectly normal lives, the two probably would have nothing to do with each other. But Tabitha Smith and Rogue shared mixed feelings for two mutant boys that fate had made their enemies—that, at least, they had in common. 

Perhaps that was why Rogue followed her fellow Brotherhood member into the girls' restroom. Upon opening the door, she realized that she had no idea what she would say or do to comfort Tabby, who had seemed to be on the verge of tears, but then saw for herself that Boom-Boom didn't need a shoulder to cry on. Teeth bared and red-faced, she was furiously pounding the wall to one of the restroom stalls with her fists. She had also taken her aggression out on the trashcan and tampon dispenser, both of which she had bombed mercilessly.

Rogue folded her arms and announced her presence with a sigh. "Principal Darkholme won't like it when she sees what you've done to her nice, clean bathroom here."

"Screw her," said Tabby gruffly, imagining the hammered stall as the shape-shifter.

"Okay, screw Mystique. Screw her _and_ the Brotherhood."

Tabby scoffed, cracking her sore knuckles. "Hmmph. Never thought I'd hear that from the Principal's Pet."

"Ah'm not her pet!" snapped the goth defensively. Taking a deep breath, she calmly added, "Ah didn't come here to fight. Just to apologize."

"For what?"

"For what happened back there. The guys are all seriously lackin' in the brain department, and what they did was stupid. Don't let it eat at you."

"Thanks for the pep talk," Tabitha rolled her eyes.

Unfazed by her sarcasm, Rogue leaned against the wall, thoughtfully studying her companion. After a few moments' observation she mused, "So, you're still nuts about the elf."

Tabitha's face turned an interesting shade of scarlet. "Hardly! Why would I be interested in a stuck-up goody-two-shoes X-Nerd like him? He's just like the others!"

"You don't have to lie to me about it. Ah understand what you're goin' through."

The blonde's expression softened slightly. Her next sentence was almost sympathetic. "Yeah, everybody knows about your thing for Shades. He is hot, in a wholesome, non-threatening kinda way. Too bad he's on Jean the Queen's leash."

There was a faint trace of color to Rogue's pale cheeks. She nodded sadly. Anyone who was anyone at Bayville High knew that Jean Grey and Duncan Matthews were an item (and hot and heavy, as some sources would say). Anyone who was anyone also heard rumors that she was stringing along Scott Summers, which was supported by the fact that he was always at her side, _especially_ when the quarterback was nowhere around. Rogue knew better than to take such gossip to heart, but it was difficult to hear all the same.

Tabitha ran her hands through her hair, letting out a deep breath. She then faced Rogue, a weary grin playing upon her lips.

"We're a real pair, aren't we?"

*** * * **

In Chemistry, Kitty and Lance always sat together in the back of the lab, far away from everyone else. They did so not simply because they were a couple, but also because they were the outcasts of the classroom. Kitty's exceptional mind made her the only freshman in Chemistry, and the older students often resented her for being so bright. Lance was just the opposite—his poor grades had made him repeat the class, and that along with his less than stellar reputation gave the image that he was only a brute-brained bad boy. It didn't help that they were both students at the Xavier Institute, and all of them, with the exception of Miss Jean Grey, were labeled as weirdoes at some point.

But neither of the mutants cared about what other people thought. They had found true happiness in each other, and all was right with the world.

"Pass the solution, please," said Kitty that afternoon, looking surprisingly cute in the large safety goggles they were required to wear as they performed the experiment.

Lance did as he was told. "Here. I made sure we had the exact amount."

Kitty took the beaker from his hand and leveled it over the Bunsen burner, the blue flames licking upwards. After several moments of heating, the greenish liquid inside turned a deep purple.

"All right!" Kitty beamed. "Success!"

Mr. Gardner, the skinny, pasty-faced chemistry teacher, passed by their table with his clipboard in hand, ready to grade their experiment. Gardner had always held up his nose to Lance, but even that couldn't stop him from being impressed by their results.

"Very nice, you two…A+. Alvers, this brings your grade up to a low B. Congratulations on all your good work. I'm sure it was…_well earned_." He lifted his narrow gaze from the boy to his lab partner, a definite shift in his tone of voice. He then walked away.

"He still thinks you're cheating off me," Kitty said with a sigh.

"Yeah, because it's _totally _impossible to believe that I'm doing well because I actually _like_ this class."

The girl smiled. "You mean that? You like chemistry now?"

He nodded, pulling off his goggles. "Well, your tutoring has helped a bunch, so I don't feel like a _complete_ reject here. But also…it's interesting to learn about all these elements and minerals and rocks and stuff. Maybe it's 'cause of my powers I'm into it."

Before they could continue their conversation, Mr. Gardner's voice sounded out through the lab. "All right, everyone. Settle down. In a moment I'll be passing out permission slips for a field trip next week to the Eros Caves with the Earth Science class to study rock formations. We'll be spelunking, so be sure to bring with you all the specifics on this sheet…"

"Sounds fun," whispered Kitty. 

"Rock formations…" Lance raised his eyebrows. "It should be right up my alley."

*** * * **

The heavens were completely black, save for the white light of the crescent moon that hung low in the sky. The wind whistled through the trees near the Brotherhood of Bayville Boarding House, where only a single person lay awake that eerie night. 

Pietro Maximoff's room was completely dark, save for the light of a small reading lamp and the illuminated screen of the laptop resting on his bed. The boy's fast fingers typed on the keyboard as he whispered harshly into the cell phone glued to his ear.

"Not much to report tonight. Mystique left for parts unknown, though you probably already know about that. Some sort of secret mission. I don't suppose you'll tell me what this is all about? …No… of course not." He rolled his eyes as the voice on the other line lectured him. 

"Sorry, sir. I didn't mean any disrespect… Anyway, she left her old lady Destiny in charge, even though I'm _perfectly_ capable of leading these degenerates…uh, thank you, sir." Pietro was taken by surprise by the unexpected compliment he had received. Any happiness he might have felt disappeared when a new report from his contact flashed on his computer screen. Within seconds he scanned over the 300+ page document, taking in every important detail.

"This is some majorly serious stuff. There's no way the X-Geeks can handle something like this. What's even better is that their precious Professor's been in on it the whole time!" A pause, as the voice on the other line spoke again. "There _is_ something you should know. Mystique still has her sights set on that dweeb, Lance Alvers. She wants us to--" He was suddenly interrupted, then, "You _know?! _My God, _that's _what she wants him for? Of course! The X-Failures will never see it coming!" Pietro Maximoff began to laugh wickedly at the thought, then remarked, "That Mystique is one evil bitch."

*** * * **

_Paris is lovely this time of year_, thought the man as he walked through the cool city streets, absorbing every sight, every sound, every smell, every _mind_. _The French really are a delightful people_, he decided, altering a police officer's thoughts to appear as a well-dressed young man, not the short, trench coat wearing, suspicious-looking troll he really was. _They're so…open-minded._

Passing by a winery, the man made a purchase of a vintage chardonnay he found most delectable. When he emerged from the shop a little old woman was standing across the street, shaking slightly with cane in hand. For an instant the man thought she was looking at him, and clouded her mind to appear as pretty middle-aged redhead. Carrying along the bottle, he crossed the street on the way to the loft he had made his home for his stay in Gay Parie, quickly forgetting about the old crone.

He crossed several blocks before he heard the sound of footsteps behind him. His mental alarm went off, and he spun around to see a boy of fourteen sitting on the stone sidewalk, smoking a cigarette and not paying the least bit of attention to him. The man continued on his way. 

He strode to the loft that resided in one of Paris's more shady districts. As he reached for the door to the squat, gray complex, he again had the feeling he was being watched. He looked from side to side, narrowing his eyes, and spied a tall woman with short brown hair leaning against a lamppost at the street corner. Her dark eyes followed him as he stormed inside the building and slammed the door shut. She grinned.

Once inside, the short, disheveled man raced up the old steps that creaked as he ran. He heard the front door slam open as if someone had broken it down, and he found himself filled with fear. Once again he heard the urgent footsteps behind him, and as soon as he reached the fourth floor he dashed into his loft, shutting the door and bolting the many locks he had fixed to it. Backing away, the man in the trench coat heard his stalker's steady pace. They stopped in front if his door, let out a shrill cry, and with a single kick turned his door into a pile of splinters. 

"Wyngarde." 

The man stopped trembling at the sound of his name. Forcing himself to look up at his attacker, he saw the shorthaired woman who had stood not far from the complex. Her lips curled in a devilish smirk, and as she walked towards him she morphed into the cigarette smoking boy and the withered crone before finally assuming the shape of a stately woman in a skimpy white gown. Her flowing hair was the color of blood, and her scaly flesh was as blue as the evening sky.

Scared out of his wits, the man called Wyngarde defended himself the only way he could; concentrating with all his might he sought to cloud the woman's thoughts. She would see him as nothing but a fly on the wall, and she would leave, she would leave…

"If you're trying to get inside my mind, it won't work," she hissed, edging towards the trembling mutant.

"Wh-What do you want with me?"

Amused, Mystique crossed her arms over her chest. "Remember Rome, ten years ago? A mutant named Magneto saved your life there, didn't he? Yes…and he asked for a boon in return. The time has come, Mastermind, for you to repay your debt."

Mastermind covered his face with his hands, sweat on his brow. "I don't have a choice, do I?"

"No," she answered darkly, "You really don't."

* * * * * * * * * * * 

To Be Continued…

* * * * * * * * * * * 

**Author's Notes:** And here's another chapter, dreadfully late. My apologies! Blame it on real life and on the lack of Evo on Kids' WB. I'm going into withdrawl! But it's been renewed for a 4th Season! Hallelujah! ^_^

I hope everyone noticed the title of this chapter. Things are going to get very interesting. ::dark laughter::

Lady MR: Actually, I'm not that big a fan of Anti-Xavier myself. I just don't think he's as benevolent as he'd like us to believe. So don't worry about him turning into an insane, Dr. Evil wannabe.

Xmenevolutionart: I try to make Kitty sound more like her Season 2 self, since saying "like" every other word makes her seem like a bigger ditz than she is. Checked out your site, by the way. Lovely pics.

Neva: I hope my take on Magneto doesn't disappoint, but he'll mainly be the shadowy figure he was through most of Season 1. I may save the _really_ evil Maggie elements for later fics. 

me: 15 times? Woo hoo! Anyway, I haven't forgotten the bit with Trey and Mystique, and it will come to play soon.

Thanks for all the great reviews, everyone! Stay tuned for Chapter 11: The Field Trip! ~Sandoz


	11. Field Trip!

**Chapter 11: Field Trip!**

The security guard silently patrolled the exterior of the old warehouse on a cloudy night, her only beacon the flashlight held in hand. A sign reading "Keep Out" hung on the chain-link fence surrounding the building to deter any trespassers, but thieves would not be so easily stopped, thus the guard's presence. She turned a corner, ever determined to protect the mysterious cargo hidden inside, never hearing the sound of a young girl phasing out of the ground behind her.

Shadowcat tapped her shoulder, and as the woman reached for her gun she was knocked unconscious by a can of knockout gas the mutant had sprayed in her face. Looking down at the fallen security guard, Shadowcat removed a small walkie-talkie from her yellow utility belt and whispered, "North perimeter secured."

On the other end of the warehouse, another guard combed the area, unaware that his partner was down for the count. On the roof, he was being watched by two shadowy figures that suddenly disappeared, only to rematerialize in front of him in a puff of sulfurous smoke. 

"Boo!" grinned a blue-faced, pointy-eared demon. The guard would have screamed, except he joined his partner in the land of dreams due to knockout gas utilized by the demon's companion. Nightcrawler gave Spyke thumbs-up as the boy murmured into his own walkie-talkie, "South perimeter secured. This guy's catchin' z's."

"All right, you three, the rest of us will take it from here," Cyclops whispered into his communicator from atop the warehouse roof. He then gazed at Jean Grey and Avalanche. At his nod Jean telekinetically opened the skylight, careful not to trip an alarm, and lifted both boys into the air to transport them safely inside in order to fulfill their mission objective. 

"Careful!" Avalanche snapped as his head bumped the ceiling.

"This isn't as easy as it looks," Jean replied from behind clenched teeth. "And I think you've been putting on pounds thanks to your girlfriend's cooking!"

"Both of you be quiet!" Cyclops yelled before Avalanche could make a typically caustic response. "There's Storm!"

He was pointing to a hooded figure lying inert on the floor of the decrepit building, gloved hands chained to a girder. 

"Let's snag her and get out of here," Avalanche muttered.

Cyclops pressed his visor, and a red optic blast shot through the air, narrowly missing the chains. A second try was equally ineffective since he was being jerked around in the air by Jean's still underdeveloped mental powers. 

"Nice aim," Avalanche quipped.

Resisting the urge to point the next blast in his direction, Cyclops reached for his visor when Jean's hold on him and his teammate was severed by one of the recovered guards, who had startled her back on the roof. With a bitten-off cry they both fell unceremoniously on the floor, triggering the alarm system. As a shrill siren ripped through the warehouse, Cyclops ran to the girl on the floor and blasted the chains, taking her into his arms.

"Are you all right, Storm?" he asked, pulling down her hood. To his shock he saw that the mutant he held was _not_ Storm—but rather Rogue. 

_"No...!"_

With a menacing smirk the girl yanked off a glove and grabbed his face, resulting in his powers flowing into her. Her eyes began to glow a fearsome red, and she blasted him clear across the room.

"Cyclops!" Avalanche shouted the other X-Man's name, and as he looked at his fallen comrade he realized that he was on his own. Turning his attention toward Rogue, he stomped his foot on the floor, sending shockwaves through the ground. She stumbled, but fired at him; he jumped out of the blast's way and sent more tremors through the floor. Growling, his eyes rolled back as he focused his powers. The earth beneath Rogue's feet upturned, and she yelled in fear as she lost her balance and discovered she had nothing to stand on. She skidded and fell atop more rocks, knocked out. 

Panting hard, Avalanche rubbed his temple as the simulation faded. It had been a while since he had used his mutant powers to such a violent degree, and the pain in his head that sometimes came with overusing them had returned. He heard a groan and saw Cyclops stand from across the Danger Room as the doors opened, revealing the rest of the X-Men. Wolverine marched over to the young leader and gave his hand to steady the boy. 

"You okay, Cyke?" he asked.

He nodded, still feeling the shock of having an optic blast fired into his chest at point blank range and full power.

"Why didn't you defend yourself?"

Cyclops sighed. "I…couldn't attack Rogue. And what was she doing in that simulation, anyway? We weren't briefed about that!"

"The Prof calls it the element of surprise, kid. And there's a difference between attacking someone and defending yourself. Rocky!"

Avalanche turned sharply at the sound of his nickname. "Sir?"

"Good work."

His eyes widened as the words sank in. He then felt himself grin, and nodded.

Shadowcat witnessed the brief exchange from the entrance of the Danger Room and felt proud of Avalanche. She knew quite well that those words had meant a lot to him. She knew _so_ well that she didn't even say anything about them when her boyfriend marched over to her, kissed her quickly on the lips, and swung his arm around her waist as the team filed into the briefing room. 

*** * ***

"Ready to go?" Kitty asked, phasing through Lance's bedroom door later that morning. The boy swung his backpack over his shoulder and nodded the affirmative. 

"Ororo asked if we could, like, drive Evan to school today too," she added. "Seems Scott's mad that he scuffed up his convertible with his skateboard."  
            

Lance groaned and rolled his eyes. He then flashed a wolfish grin at his girlfriend and gathered her in an embrace. She giggled, "Lance, what's gotten into you?"

"Nothing," he replied smoothly, "It's just that we haven't been properly alone since Northbrook." He kissed her softly and whispered huskily into her ear, "Maybe we should get another hotel room…"

To his surprise and dismay, Kitty put her hands on his shoulders and gently pushed him away, her pretty face darkened by a frown. "I don't think that would be a good idea," she said quietly. "I don't think we should rush into this."

Lance sighed and ran a hand through his long hair, trying not to sound too disappointed. He shrugged. "I understand. It was just an idea. No big deal."

"No big deal," Kitty echoed with a faint smile. "Let's go to school."

* * * 

"So Scott's still sulking about this morning?" Lance asked his companions on the drive to Bayville High.

"Yeah man," Evan Daniels answered from the back seat. "I think the Rogue thing really made him wiggy."

"I feel bad for him," said Kitty, who brushed one of her long bangs behind an ear as the wind caressed her face. "Even Kurt wasn't this bent out of shape when Tabitha started showing up in Danger Room sessions. Jean told me that he's trying to make friends with Rogue, so I can understand why he'd be upset."

"She's with the Brotherhood, right? That makes her a bad guy until she proves otherwise," Lance remarked, his eyes narrowed. He had no love for _any_ of the Brotherhood.

Suddenly a loud horn honked at the jeep, startling all three passengers. Evan spun around and looked behind them at the electric blue Ferrari that was gaining on them. "Speaking of bad guys…" he muttered.

Lance's eyes darted to the rear view mirror, and he gritted his teeth at the sight of the silver-haired driver.

"It's Pietro!" Kitty cried the obvious when the Ferrari sped up and moved into the other lane next to them.

"Nice piece of junk, Alvers! Think you can keep up with me?" the field leader of the Brotherhood laughed mockingly, then hit the gas again, passing and sharply cutting them off.

Evan scanned the license plate. "SPD DMN? That's not even funny!"

"What's he doing?" Kitty wondered aloud, shocked at Pietro's reckless speed.

"Delivering a challenge," Lance furrowed his brow, and then put his foot on his own gas pedal.

"What are _you_ doing!?" Kitty demanded.

"Accepting."

The jeep sped up after the Ferrari, the tires screeching. Pietro glanced at his mirror and smirked, confident that this was a contest he wouldn't lose. He effortlessly turned a sharp corner, unaware that he was steadily approaching 70 mph. 

Lance's pathetic old jeep was still a way's behind him. Would he be able to catch up, Pietro wondered, or would the ol' clunker break up into little bitty pieces on the highway? Either way, he was sure to be amused.

Lance Alvers was no stranger to drag racing and other types of joyrides. In fact, he had raced for cash a few times back in Northbrook. He was a good driver, and knew what his car was capable of. He was in control, and didn't intend on hitting the outrageous speeds Pietro Maximoff was addicted to—after all, he had no desire to put Kitty, Evan, or even himself in that much danger. But he wasn't going to let the skinny bastard get away either.

Pietro threw his head back to get a good look at the slowpokes, and in his carelessness nearly missed crashing into a truck that had changed lanes. He overcorrected, and nearly slammed into the guardrail. His cheeks burned as he thought of the X-Geeks witnessing his error. He was fast approaching Bayville High. 

Duncan Matthews took a long sip from his foamy cappuccino as he lazily steered his slick convertible with his free hand. The blonde quarterback was entertaining thoughts of his last hot date with Jean Grey and his secret rendezvous that night with her friend Taryn when he heard someone honking at him down the road. 

"Blow it out your ass!" he growled, flipping the bird at the honking Ferrari that cut him off to turn into the Bayville High parking lot. Muttering more curses under his breath, he turned into the lot as well only to hear more honking in his direction. He saw a speeding jeep come up quickly behind him—much _too_ quickly, he noted—and had barely registered the driver as that trashy Alvers guy when he realized that the jeep was going to hit him. Hard.

Duncan let out a shriek as the jeep passed right through him like a phantom. He dropped his cup and now had a cappuccino-soaked lap, but he didn't care. He just stared blankly ahead as the now tangible jeep hit the brakes and took a parking space at the front of the school, cutting off the Ferrari that had nearly slammed into him moments earlier.

Duncan gazed dumbly at the now empty Starbucks cup. "What did they put in this?" he mumbled.         

Pietro pounded his steering wheel in frustration as the X-Geeks exited the jeep. Kitty was frazzled, but both Daniels and Alvers were looking positively smug. 

Lance flashed a "Loser" sign as he opened the school door. "Too slow, Maximoff," he mocked. "You should really work on your speed."

"You're going to pay for that, rock-tumbler," Pietro swore as the doors slammed shut behind the young X-Men.

His angry reverie was broken by the sounds of laughter. His head turned to see Tabby, Todd, Fred, and Rogue standing by a school bus, snickering. Pietro had refused to drive them to school in his brand new car, snidely commenting that Todd would slime it up, Fred would crush it, and he wouldn't let a hot girl ride in it unless they paid a toll. Given the rude brush off, the Brotherhood couldn't help but snicker at how badly he had been beaten at his own game.

*** * ***

"Has Pietro always been such a…_prick?_" Lance asked Evan as they roamed the high school's halls.

"Hell yeah," the skateboarder sneered. "Like Auntie O used to say, he thinks he shines brighter than the sun. Always has."

"You used to be friends when you were little, didn't you?"

"Not really. We were rivals kinda from the start, except it was friendly in the beginning. But Pietro always had to make a competition outta everythin'. Part o' it was that his foster parents spoiled him rotten to try to make up for his crappy life in the orphanage."

"Orphanage?" Lance repeated the word that struck a cord within him.

At his locker, Evan dumped his skateboard inside and pulled an English book from the clutter. "Yeah, apparently his old man dumped him off without so much as a goodbye. It sucks, but what're ya gonna do? I tried to be nice to him when my parents told me about his past, but he just threw it back in my face. Some people are just rotten, I guess."

"Definitely." Having digested that bit of information, Lance decided to head off. "I'll see you later," he said.

"Later, man. Have fun on the field trip. Maybe with some luck you and Kitty will get lost in some dark, romantic cave." He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"Quiet, you."

*** * ***

Meanwhile, at the other end of the school, Kitty emerged from her geometry classroom holding a stack of worksheets and looking very disheartened.

_I_ knew _it was, like, a bad idea to ask for the work I'm going to miss_, she thought, unaware that she was being observed by one Jean Grey from across the hall. The redhead frowned, wondering if she was about to do the right thing. After reassuring herself for the 50th time, she composed herself and strode towards the freshman, making her presence known.

"Kitty, I need to talk to you," she said directly.

The girl blinked. "Um, okay. What's up?"

Jean glanced from side to side at all the teenagers and possible eavesdroppers hanging around them. "Actually, I don't think we should talk about it right here." Before Kitty could ask any questions, she took her arm and pulled her into a deserted stairwell. 

"What is it?" questioned Kitty, slightly cross. She didn't like the way her teammate was acting. 

Jean took a deep breath and folded her arms over her chest. She tried not to sound too harsh. "Kitty, as you may know, being a telepath has given me certain…_empathic_ abilities as well. There are times when I can strongly sense the feelings of another person, be it anger, joy, or something else. Ever since you got back from winter break I've sensed powerful sentiments emanating from you and Lance, and I'm not exactly comfortable with what I've felt. I've also picked up on some…_interesting_ dreams from both of you. I have to ask: are you two having sex?"

Kitty pulled back, too stunned for words. The bluntness of her question, added to the implications of telepathic spying, was almost too much. Finally, "I don't think that's any of your business."

"Kitty, please. This is serious."

"I _am_ being serious!" she insisted. She then bit her lip to keep her from making another comment that she would probably regret later. One look at Jean's pretty but determined face told Kitty that denying it was useless, since she'd probably pry it out of her thoughts anyway. 

"Have you had sex?" Jean asked again, more forcefully that time.

"We've _made love_, yes."

The redhead actually seemed shocked. "Oh God…how many times? Did you use protection?"

By then Kitty's cheeks were bright crimson. She hated to be under Jean's spotlight, but she refused to feel ashamed. "We've only done it once. Our last night in Northbrook. Lance had protection…why are you looking at me like that?"

Jean took Kitty's hands and forced her to meet her gaze. "Oh Kitty, don't you see? The fact that Lance had condoms on him means that he was planning this for a long time--"

Suddenly Kitty was enraged, and she freed her hands from Jean's grasp as if the girl had burned her. "_This_ again?" she snapped. "Why are you constantly trying to make Lance into some evil monster? Can't you just be happy for us?"

"I'm just looking out for you! I don't want you to be taken advantage of!"

"I _wasn't_ taken advantage of! I wanted it as much as he did!"

"Sure, you may think that _now_…but you're barely sixteen! You're not _nearly_ mature enough to properly handle something like this. You may not be able to accept this, but some people _use_, and they _hurt_, and they _manipulate_..."

Kitty clenched her fists. "Oh yeah? And what about you and Duncan?! I've heard things about you two, and if they're true, you have no right to attack me _or_ Lance!"

Jean blustered, "That's totally different! Duncan and I are older, more mature, and are more prepared for that sort of thing, and--" her face was now as red as her hair, "We haven't done _anything_ like that!"

"Yeah, right! Since you're _such_ a great _empath_, why don't you, like, pry into _Lance's_ mind and see what kind of person he really is!" With that, the girl started to storm off, only to have her wrist intercepted by her companion. 

"Please, just listen to me--"

But she would not. With a dark scowl Kitty phased her way out of Jean's tight grasp and disappeared down the hall without so much as a glance back.

"Oh, no," Jean sighed, disappointed. 

"Is everything all right, Ms. Grey?" a woman's voice asked. Her head turned, and she saw Principal Darkholme standing on the staircase a few feet above her head. Her expression was unreadable.

"Yes, ma'am," the teen replied automatically. Raven watched her depart, lips cracking into a thin smile. She had seen the fear that had briefly flashed in the telepath's eyes as she wondered whether or not her principal had more of the conversation than she should have. Which, of course, she had.     

*** * ***

Professor Charles Xavier sat quietly in his study, completing a mess of paperwork. It was a fairly windy day, and he could hear the loud rustling of the air as it whipped through the tall trees through the closed window. What he didn't hear, however, was the sound of the wind being manipulated by a force outside—a force that was steadily approaching.

Suddenly the windows flew open, startling the mutant. Xavier wheeled over to the other end of the study to close them, but as he did a powerful force took control of his wheelchair and pushed him roughly across the roof where he collided with his desk.

"Metal wheelchair. Foolish."

Xavier's eyes went wide at the voice's icy familiarity. _Magnus_. 

"It's quite a fine collection of mutants you have at this…_school_, you call it?"

The Professor regained his composure and faced the open window. His visitor had not chosen to reveal himself yet, but he could feel his presence. "Yes, the students here are a very fine lot indeed."

"Yet you do not trust them."

"I _do _trust them—with my life!"

"But not with the truth!"

The wind howled, and Xavier found himself pushed against the wall from another magnetic attack. When he glanced up again, he saw the dark figure in the window, purple cape billowing.

"I'm only trying to protect them, Magnus. You know that. Everything I've done has been for their well-being!"

"And the Mindcoil? What of that?" he asked. Magneto smirked at the surprised look on his old friend's face. Oh, how he wished he could read his mind. "Yes, I know what you've been trying to do with our 'child'. You think you can change it, make it _help_ humans as well as mutants, but you're wrong. It is what it is, and soon you won't be able to control it anymore."

"You're wrong."

"Am I? I helped _create_ it, remember, Charles? I know what it's capable of. Your pathetic morals and ideals mean nothing to it. Weapons of the Mindcoil's caliber do not belong in hands of weak-minded fools like yourself! And when my forces are ready, I will come back to reclaim what you've stolen from me. Farewell." And Magneto was gone, just as quickly and silently as he came. 

Xavier took a deep breath. It had gone badly. He had not anticipated Magneto making an appearance quite so soon, or for his former comrade to know so much. He put his hands on his temples and concentrated on reaching one particular mutant.

**Logan, meet me in my study at once. There has been a change of plans.**

*** * ***

A large group of Bayville High students from the Chemistry and Earth Science classes were huddled together in the school courtyard as their teachers, Mr. Gardner and Mr. Rodetsky, checked their names off the roll list. Lance strolled over to the bright yellow school bus to put his and Kitty's gear in the cargo area. When he turned around, he saw his girlfriend talking on her cell phone and wearing a concerned expression.

"Who was that?" the boy asked when she hung up.

"Mr. Logan," she explained. "He called to let us know that he and Professor X are leaving on some urgent business for a couple nights."

"Must be _really_ urgent if they're calling us at school."

"Yeah," Kitty said with a deep frown. "I hope everything's all right."

Unbeknownst to the young lovers, they were being watched by Principal Darkholme, who was hiding in the shadows of an empty doorway not far off.

_So Xavier and Wolverine are gone_, _just as Irene predicted, _she thought._ I couldn't ask for better luck. The plan will go off without a hitch_. 

Just as she finished her thoughts, a muscular black-haired boy in a Bayville High letter jacket walked by the shape-shifter. She recognized him immediately.

"Mr. Anderson!" she called out his name, and he stopped, looking at her like a deer caught in the lights of oncoming traffic.

"What?" Trey Anderson asked in a panic, wondering if she had discovered he was the one responsible for the peephole in the girl's locker room. "I haven't done anything!"

"Of course not, my dear boy," she said with a crafty smile, patting his shoulder. "You're going on the Taipos Caves field trip, aren't you? There's something we need to talk about…" she trailed off, leading him away from the crowd to where no one would hear their discussion.

Meanwhile, Lance and Kitty stood in line single file as their teacher finished roll call. "Where are Maximoff, Dukes, and Tolensky?" Mr. Rodetsky asked. "Has anyone seen them?"

"Hopefully not," Kitty murmured under her breath. "Like, I can't believe they're coming too."

"Me neither. And what about Summers and Jean? Weren't they supposed to be going on this field trip?" Lance inquired.

"Yeah, but Scott decided at the last minute he didn't want to go. I think he's still sulking over the Rogue thing. Jean stayed behind to look after him."

"Oh. _I_ get it," the boy grinned.

"Has anyone seen Pietro Maximoff, Fred Dukes, or Todd Tolensky? They're the only ones missing!" Rodetsky asked again. His students shrugged.

"We're here," a particularly self-satisfied voice declared, and heads turned to see the terrible trio marching down the courtyard. 

"Sorry we're late, teach," Todd said, "But Pietro here likes to be fashionably late."

"Well, I don't care _what_ Pietro likes, we were all waiting for you three. Now get in line," Mr. Gardner snapped, pointing to the group of young science students.

"Nice one, slime breath," Pietro whispered harshly as he and his friends went to the back of the line.

"Now where's Trey Anderson?" Mr. Rodetsky asked. "I just saw him a few minutes ago."

Kitty flinched at the name. It had been a long time since the football player had dragged the unwilling girl into a closet with impure thoughts in mind, but the violent encounter was still hard to forget. She shivered, and felt Lance take her hand.

"I'm right here!" Trey's voice called, and he ran from across the courtyard. "Ms. Darkholme had to talk to me about somethin'."

"Fine, fine, fine," said the exasperated Earth Science teacher. "Just get in line."

The linebacker did as he was told, and as he passed Kitty he flashed a predatory grin that said _he_ had not forgotten their encounter either.

"Don't worry, he won't get near you again," Lance whispered into her ear, his voice dark. Kitty said nothing.

"All right, everyone ready?" Mr. Rodetsky spoke up. "Let's go to the Taipos Caves!"

*** * ***

The Taipos caves were located about an hour and a half from Bayville in upstate New York—so far upstate, in fact, fresh snow was still on the ground. Lance and Kitty sat close together at the front of the school bus, wrapped in each other's arms. Kitty rested her head on her boyfriend's shoulder as she gazed out the window at the idyllic scenery. 

Kitty's thoughts were her own. She decided not to tell Lance about her confrontation with Jean, since it would surely re-ignite the animosity between them that had only recently quieted down. She didn't know what she would do if the redhead told the Professor what she had found out—Kitty could easily imagine a disappointed lecture, or, at worst, an order for them to end their romance. The girl actually wondered for a brief moment if Jean's words were true. Maybe she and Lance _were_ to young to be sleeping together. But…they had agreed to wait. That had to mean something, right?

Outside, glittering snowflakes began to fall. The beauty of the sight was enough to make her forget what was troubling her. "It's so gorgeous," she whispered. "Too bad we're going to be stuck in a dank old cave and can't enjoy this."

"I'm more concerned about the Brotherhood," muttered Lance. About three seats behind him, the ever-smooth Pietro was trying to sweet talk a cute freshman but was having little success thanks to Todd and Fred's heckles.

"You're beginning to sound like Scott," teased Kitty. "What could they possibly do on a school trip?"

"Maybe you're right," Lance admonished, letting the Scott crack slide. "And it _is_ the Brotherhood. Without Mystique, they're nothing."

"Totally. So relax, this'll be _fun_."

"Yeah."

The two smiled at each other, oblivious to the sinister gaze of Trey Anderson.

*** * ***

"Lucky for us we got here before all the major snow started to fall," Mr. Rodetsky remarked as the students filed out of the school bus onto a hiking trail. "Now, it's still a ways to the mouth of the caves, so to get there we'll be partnering up and finishing the distance on our snowmobiles." He pointed to the large trailer that the bus had dragged along behind it.

Lance and Kitty took no time claiming one for their own. The young mutant girl had just put her helmet on and sat behind her boyfriend when Pietro and Todd zoomed up beside them on their ride.

"How about a rematch, Alvers?" 

Lance grinned. "You're on."

"What?!" Kitty cried. "No way! Lance, don't you _daaaaaaaaarrrrrrrreeee!_" Her protests were lost in the wind as Lance revved the engine and zoomed off hot on the Brotherhood's trail.

Maximoff had as much control over his snowmobile as he did his Ferrari, and ignored Todd's cries of being sick as he hit high speeds down the snowy trail. He zigzagged through several trees in an attempt to lose his pursuers, but to his chagrin he saw that Lance had equal skill at driving. Gritting his teeth, Pietro slowed down enough for the X-Men to catch up. There was little room for two vehicles on the narrow trail, which was something he counted on. Suddenly he jerked his snowmobile to the right, nearly slamming into Lance and Kitty. The teens gasped as Lance jerked farther to the right to avoid a collision—nearly tumbling over the rim of the trail and into a ravine. For a few terrible seconds the couple teetered on the edge. Kitty clung to her boyfriend for dear life as they both leaned in to the left, steadying the snowmobile. They both let out huge sighs of relief, but they weren't out of harm's way.

_"Tree!"_ Lance cried out when he saw the tall evergreen rushing at them. The snowmobile was going much too fast to veer safely out of the way, and a collision was surely imminent. The blood pounding in her veins, Kitty turned them both intangible, allowing them to phase through the mighty tree unscathed. 

Once the last ordeal was over, Lance turned the keys, shutting off the vehicle. His breath was ragged, and he could feel the frightened beating of Kitty's heart against his back. For several moments, nothing was said. They were just thankful to be alive.

"Hey, are you all right?" A faraway voice called. Another snowmobile was coming up behind them, driven by two senior boys Lance had never talked to. They looked concerned, but apparently hadn't seen the disastrous race.

"We're fine," Kitty said shakily. "Just had some problems with our snowmobile."

"Okay, cool," one boy said. They then sped up and left the couple alone. Lance gazed out ahead as they faded into the distance, his view obscured by the now heavily falling snow. Pietro and Todd were long gone, nowhere to be seen.

_I thought they were harmless_, the boy thought. _But just now…they were really out to get us._

*** * ***

Much later, Pietro, Fred, and Todd were waiting at the mouth of the Taipos Caves with the rest of the group. They began to snicker as they heard Lance and Kitty's approaching voices.

"…When I get _my_ license, I am _so_ going to bea better driver than that," Kitty avowed.

"I said I was sorry!"

As the snowmobile pulled up to the entrance, Kitty jumped off and angrily pulled off her helmet. "You don't get it! God, you can be such a jerk sometimes!"

Lance hopped off the vehicle and hastily threw his helmet on the ground. He snatched her arm before the girl could storm off in a huff. "Come on, Kitty, don't be mad," he pleaded, keeping his voice low so that the other students wouldn't overhear the lovers' spat.

"Yeah, Pretty Kitty!" Fred chortled, pointing and laughing with his two friends.

"Shut_…up!_" growled the rock-tumbler. The ground around Fred began to tremble, shaking the evergreen he stood under. A pile of snow falling on his head cut the mutant's bovine laughter short.

"Hmmph!" Kitty scowled, sliding her hand out of Lance's grip and marching towards the group huddled around Mr. Gardner and Mr. Rodetsky. Lance watched her go, his cheeks burning.

"Awww, poor Lancey Boy," Pietro wiped away an imaginary tear. "Looks like _someone's_ in the cat house tonight."

Throwing a withering glance at the smirking mutant, Lance stomped off in the direction of his girlfriend.

*** * ***

The formations inside the caves were truly a sight to behold, from the mutated igneous rock to the glimmering stalactites and stalagmites. The Earth Science teacher, Mr. Rodetsky, was in his element, and was enthusiastically lecturing his students while Lance tried to mend things with an unhappy X-Girl. 

"I _am_ sorry! It was a stupid thing to do, I admit it," he murmured.

"You're right, it _was_ stupid," Kitty huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and refusing to look him in the eye. "Why has Pietro been so under your skin lately?"

He threw his arms into the air, anger mounting. "I'm sick and tired of the Brotherhood screwing around with me. If they're not going to play by the rules, why should we?"

Kitty was taken aback by the frustration in his voice. Her next words were very quiet. "I know it's not fair, but sinking down to their level won't make things right. We're the good guys, remember?"

"Of course," he snapped, suddenly feeling very bitter. "How could I forget?"

"Lance, you have nothing to prove to the likes of _Pietro Maximoff_. Remember that. And…" she swallowed a lump in her throat, her voice pained. "I'm _scared_ when you act like that. It reminds me of Northbrook, when you fought Griff and Pete…I don't know how to describe it, but it was like you weren't _yourself_ anymore. All that _anger_ and _violence_…it isn't _you_."

At that moment all the hostility between them melted away. Kitty's confession had impacted Lance. He knew what it was like to lose oneself; he thought of the dark years he spent with his heart hidden away, lashing out at the world. It was his time at the Institute and the light radiated by that one special person that had saved him. To lose that _now_, after everything…

 "Attention, everyone!" Gardner's loud voice echoed through the cave, interrupting Lance's thoughts. "At this point we're going to split up into pairs and explore the caves. Be sure your flashlights have fresh batteries and don't forget to fill out your worksheets on your finds. Here are your assigned partners: Farley and Galvan, Dukes and Tolensky, Macher and Lokey, Raider and Hall, Trocino and Dillon, Anderson and Pryde, and Alvers and Maximoff."

Lance summed up his and Kitty's feelings in one sentence: "You have got to be kidding me."

"Now get in your partners and follow us," Gardner finished, gathering his students with Rodetsky. Both Lance and Kitty lingered, looking at each other in shock, unsure what to make of that recent turn of events. 

Trey stood with arms crossed over his chest, a sour expression on his face. "Hey, you—Pryde! You're with me!" he said rudely, pointing to the dark depths of the caves.

Lance leaned towards her and whispered, "Are you gonna be all right?"

Kitty wasn't exactly pleased with the arrangements, but she wasn't going to let the football player see her unease. "Yeah. I can handle a dumb jock like him. What about you?"

"Lancey Boy! Get your ass in gear!" Pietro's shrill voice called from deep in the caves, making the rock tumbler roll his eyes.

"I'll live…but _he_ might not," he said with a supportive grin.

"Just be careful."

"You too."

Kitty squeezed his hand, and just before they went their separate ways she kissed his cheek and murmured, "I love you." Then, before her boyfriend could return the sentiment, she darted away after Trey. Letting out a deep sigh, Lance turned on his flashlight and went in search of his own partner.

*** * ***

For a long time, neither Lance nor Pietro exchanged words as they explored the Taipos Caves by themselves. They marched forward into the dank, labyrinthine depths; Lance a few steps behind the other boy, the cold air heavy with an oppressive silence.

"You know…I'm a little glad we ended up as partners. It's a good opportunity to talk by ourselves."

Narrowing his eyes, Pietro stopped and faced Lance. "Oh?"

"The Brotherhood…it has plans for me, doesn't it?"

Pietro's eyes widened. He hadn't thought much of Lance's intelligence, and was surprised that the grunt was onto them. _Oh well_, smirked the sophomore, _It's not as if he has any clue what we're _really _planning_. "What are you babbling about?" he said aloud, faking ignorance.

"It's something that just dawned on me…When Freddy joined your gang of retards he tricked me into meeting up with Mystique…who tried to recruit me. Me and me only. She never went after Kitty, Evan, Kurt, or any of the others. And since then, I've noticed you all at school, watching me, _glaring_ at me, as if you were up to something. A few days ago Tabitha threw herself at me and tried to convince me to 'party' with you clowns, something she didn't even do when she was pulling the elf's tail. And today, out of the friggin' blue, you try to run me over twice. So what is it, Pietro? What the hell is this all about?"

For a tense moment their gazes locked, Avalanche staring down Quicksilver. It was the Brotherhood member who finally cracked, bursting into laughter. 

"Don't flatter yourself, X-Geek. You want to know the real secret? Fine, here it is. Mystique knows all about your record, and how at heart you're nothing but a piece of trailer trash with a chip on his shoulder. Mutants aren't exactly easy to come by, so she got it into her head to bring you over to our side. _In fact_, she originally went after the very day you met your Pretty Kitty, but Baldy got to you first. She doesn't _like_ losing, y'know? Mystique then decided to go after you again, with Freddy as her patsy. Even now she still wants you on the Brotherhood, even though I told her to forget it, since you have to be _the_ most pathetic mutant I've _ever _seen."

Lance's anger rose, and he thought that his prediction about Pietro's lifespan might just come true. "What the hell is that crack supposed to mean?"

"It means you're a _loser_. Mystique thinks that someone with your past and attitude would fit right in with us, but _I_ know better. You _want_ to fit in with those snotty, self-righteous goody-goods and constantly deny what you _really_ are so they'll accept you. But they won't. Not _really_. _I_ know what you really are, Lancey, and I know that they'll turn on you the first chance they get. Even your Pretty Kitty will ditch you when the thrill of screwing a bad boy wears off--!" His words were never finished as Lance's hand grabbed him by the collar and shoved him against the icy cave wall. 

"Oh, did I hit a nerve?" 

A low growl escaped Lance's lips. It was all he could do to keep himself from wringing Pietro's skinny neck. The silver-haired boy wiped his brow and chuckled. 

"You know I'm right, don't you?"

"No," Lance spat, balling his hands into fists. "_No._ You don't know a damn thing about me Pietro, and don't you _dare _drag Kitty into this. You're not fit to say her name."

"And you're still in denial." Pietro shook his head. "Tsk, tsk. Such a shame."

That was it. Lance leapt at the other boy, punching him squarely in the jaw. Pietro crumpled to the floor like a paper cup, utterly shocked. _My face!_ he thought in wonderment. _He hit me! He actually hit_ me_!_

He was dragged to his feet, grabbed roughly by the collar once again. Lance brought their faces dangerously close together, and Pietro found himself slightly scared by what he saw in the rock-tumbler's eyes. The ground began to tremble under his barely contained rage.

"You're surrounded on all sides by two-hundred feet of solid rock, Pietro. Pissing me off right now is a _very_ bad idea."

He had hoped to scare Pietro spitless, but all he got was another damned smirk. "Do it, Alvers. Bring this place down. I want to see if you can."

The sentence sank in, and Lance's eyes flashed in realization. He dropped him and turned away, furious with himself. "So I can prove you right? No way." He left the speed demon behind, walking away into the shadows of the cave. 

_Kitty would be proud of me_, he thought. _I hope she's all right. If Trey does anything to her…I'll kill him_.

*** * ***

Deep in another part of the twisting tunnels, Kitty was faring all right. Once in a while her partner would try to make small talk, but she ignored him, ever on her guard. 

"Whoa, look at this rock formation!" Trey suddenly called out. He was looking in awe at an igneous formation on a cave wall, running his hands over the smooth surface. The girl had to admit, the swirling patterns of the different rock layers were cool, but something was bothering her. Trey definitely didn't seem like the kind of guy who could appreciate the aesthetics of the surroundings. 

"Didn't Rodetsky say that these were some kinda mutation?"

"I suppose so."

"Hmm…mutants. Majorly creepy stuff, if you ask me."

Before Kitty could mutter, 'But I _didn't_ ask you' her flashlight suddenly went out. Immersed in total darkness, a wave of fear crashed over the girl, and she frantically hit the faulty device until the light flickered back on. Breathing a sigh of relief, she glanced up, only to see that Trey had disappeared. Her fear returned.

"Trey?" she called out. "Trey! Where are you?"

No response. She took a few small steps forward, illuminating the cavernous path ahead of her. She shouted out his name once again.

"Over here!" his voice yelled in the distance. She followed it, walking deeper into the darkness, then stopped still. "We're not supposed to go down that way! Mr. Gardner said it was dangerous!"

"Come on! I found some more really cool rocks! You gotta see it!"

"I don't _think_ so," Kitty said, turning around to go find a teacher. It wasn't long before she heard footsteps approaching. She gasped as she saw the newcomers were none other than Todd and Fred. 

"Hey, Kitten!" Fred hooted. "Wanna play with us?"

Hearing the menacing edge in his voice, Kitty spun around to bolt the other way, but found Trey blocking her exit. 

"Nowhere to run, I'm afraid," he shrugged.

_Trey and the Brotherhood?_ Kitty's mind reeled. _What is this?_

"Well, I brought her here. You know what to do," said Trey to the two other mutants.

"I am _so_ getting out of here!" Kitty bolted towards the ext being blocked by Todd and Fred. Todd spat a huge glob of slime at her, but it passed harmlessly through her intangible form and slimed Trey instead. Kitty phased through Fred's humongous body and dashed down a pathway, hoping to reach Lance or any of the other students. There was no way her attackers would risk exposing themselves in front of the whole class. She was so determined to get away she didn't hear the sound of Todd's long green tongue shooting through the air until it wrapped around her ankles, tripping her. 

"No offense, babycakes, but you ain't gettin' away," Todd said almost apologetically. 

Scowling, Kitty phased through his slimy appendage and stood, but before she could make haste one of her three attackers threw a small capsule at her feet, and it exploded in a cloud of noxious blue fumes. Coughing, she had barely identified it as knockout gas when things started to grow dim.

_Lance!_

*** * ***

Most of the students had already completed their exploration of the Taipos Caves when Lance finally made his way back. He scanned the many young faces for Kitty, and was distraught when he saw she wasn't there.

"Lance, where's your partner?" Mr. Gardner asked curtly.

"He's around," he shrugged. "Have you seen Kitty?"

"She and Mr. Anderson are still looking around the caves, I imagine. As are Mr. Dukes and Mr. Tolensky."

Lance went pale. "You mean that the four of them are the only ones not here?"

"I believe that's what I said, Mr. Alvers—where are you going?!"

Lance never answered the question. He ran back into the depths of his caves, desperate to find Kitty. He had a terrible feeling something was wrong. But before long he was cursing himself for leaving his flashlight with Maximoff. The farther he ran the darker it was, and his chances of finding _anyone_ in the murky shadows were very slim. Suddenly he ran into something—or rather, someone—who fell to the ground with a small feminine cry.

"Kitty?!" Lance exclaimed.

"Oww…Lance? Is that you?" she asked, barely able to make out his shape. He nodded, and she threw her arms around his neck joyfully. 

"Oh, Lance, thank God it's you!"

He returned the embrace, pressing his face to her sweet-smelling hair. "Kitty, you sound scared…did something happen?"

"Yes!" she said, stifling a sob. "Trey was working with the Brotherhood…they attacked me. I tried to run away, but they, like, had this thing full of knockout gas…it was a miracle that I was able to phase through the ground and get away!"

"Those bastards," Lance fumed, refusing to relinquish his hold on her as if afraid she'd disappear.

"But what about you?" Kitty inquired. "Did Pietro try to hurt you?"

"Yeah, he did. But everything's all right."

"Yes…"

Lance felt an overwhelming sense of relief. "Come on, let's go."

The pair walked back to the mouth hand in hand, where they met the perturbed face of Mr. Gardner. "Well, you found Kitty, Mr. Alvers. Where are the others?"

"We're coming, we're coming!" a voice shouted deep from within the cavern, and the haggard forms of Pietro, Todd, Fred, and Trey sauntered out.

"For heaven's sake, can't you four be on time for _once?!"_ Mr. Rodetsky demanded in anger. "We were almost late leaving _again_ because of you!"

"Sorry," Fred mumbled.

"Yeah, we, uh, got held up," Todd shrugged, giving Kitty a peculiar look. 

"Just get on the bus," Gardner sighed, rubbing his aching forehead. He wasn't paid enough to deal with those miscreants. 

And so the field trip ended. The Bayville High students filed into the bus, Lance and Kitty taking a seat up front and holding onto each other as if they never wanted to let go. Trey sat down with an odd expression on his normally handsome countenance, not saying a word to anyone. Todd and Fred sat across from each other, as the big-boned mutant took up the entire seat, and Pietro sat alone in the very back. The slender mutant felt something vibrate in his pocket, and he pulled out his cell phone.

"Hi…fine, sir, how are you? Great…yeah, I had fun." Pietro held back a laugh as he spoke to the voice on the other line. "Yes, Mystique altered the partner list according to your specifications…don't worry, Magneto," his eyes shifted to Kitty and Lance's snuggling forms, "Everything's going according to plan."

* * * * * * * * * * * 

To Be Continued… 

* * * * * * * * * * * 

**Author's Notes:** Here's "Turn of the Rogue" without the, uh, turning of the rogue. -_- I have my reasons for not converting her at this point in time, as you'll all see soon enough. I decided to give Pietro a more villainous role in the story in keeping with his wonderful actions and leadership abilities as seen in "Day of Reckoning" and "The Toad, The Witch, and The Wardrobe." And at this point it's probably obvious I don't like Jean—however, there is a method to my madness. Trust me. ::wicked grin:: 

Next chapter: Everything comes to a head as Mystique finally reveals her _true_ plans for Lance and the Mindcoil…and does something unthinkable. It's going to be big, folks. Again, let me pause to thank all my reviewers for giving me such great feedback! (and X-MenEvolutionArt—keep drawing those awesome pics!) 'Till next time! ~Sandoz


	12. The World Spins

**Chapter 12: The World Spins**

Lance Alvers was having a strange and particularly nasty dream.

He trudged through foul, reddish mud, cursing as it became harder to move. He could hear the heavy breathing of his pursuer echo through the trees that surrounded him, and he knew he had precious little time. He quickened his pace, the thick mud sticking to his X-Man uniform, and the more determined he was to get away the more determined the quagmire was to drag him down. Avalanche felt himself slowly sink and let out a strained cry as he frantically grabbed for a branch on one of the bare, skeletal trees that surrounded the bog. The pursuer was mocking him in the darkness; the boy couldn't see who was after him, but he heard the cruel laughter in his ear.

Snatching one of the stronger branches, Avalanche wrapped his arms around it and struggled to pull himself out before it could swallow him whole. But as he did the branch's shape began to twist and change, becoming a withered hand whose talons latched onto his arm. Avalanche screamed as his blood was drawn, and, gazing up at what held him in its grasp, felt true, paralyzing terror. It was _Cyclops_ who had ensnared him, except the manifestation of the boy in the dream was a ghastly wraith whose pale, gaunt lips were turned in a hateful sneer. Cyclops suddenly dropped Lance's arm, and the boy fell again into the terrible quagmire. As he was sucked in, he searched desperately for something—someone—to help him, but instead the trees of the swamp all went through that frightening metamorphosis. The twisted form of Jean Grey began to howl a laugh of the utterly damned, pushing him farther into the murky abyss; and there was no mercy to be found in the now _truly_ demonic Nightcrawler either. His teammates had turned on him, and their clawed hands took hold of his head and shoved him deeper into the mud, their grins fading into the darkness. Avalanche screamed, but it was not out of pain or fear, but of pure, unrestrained fury. The last thing he saw was a pair of white, gleaming eyes in the sky, and he knew his pursuer had finally won.

Lance awoke to a pair of brilliant blue eyes that happened to be inches from his face. He let out a startled gasp, and Kitty pulled away, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Omigod, I'm sorry!" she apologized. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Lance sat up and held his head in his hands; the evil laughter of the demon in his dream was still fresh in his mind. He looked at the girl curiously. "It's…okay. Um," he blinked, "Why are you in my bedroom?"

"I just thought, like, I'd wake you up, since apparently your alarm clock didn't." She pointed accusingly at the clock on his nightstand, whose numbers read 6:41.

"Crap," muttered the mutant boy. "Gimme a sec to get dressed, then we can sneak out before the Scout Leader sees us."

Nodding gravely, Kitty darted out of the room. Lance jumped out of bed and pulled on some threads he had left in a pile on the floor, and looking semi-decent, poked his head out the door and glanced from side-to-side.

"I think the coast is clear," Kitty whispered beside him.

"All right, let's make a run for it."

Holding hands, they snuck down the front staircase, extra careful not to make a sound. The couple had just reached the front door when a voice happily called, "There you two are! Time to suit up!"

Wincing, Lance and Kitty slowly turned to face the grinning field leader of the X-Men, Cyclops.

"Oh, come on, Summers! It's late!"

"Yeah! And, like, it's Friday, for crying out loud! Can't you give us a break just this once?" pleaded Kitty, hoping the "puppy dog eyes" trick would work its wonders.

Cyclops shook his head. "No way. Just because the Professor's out of town doesn't mean we can slack off. Now hurry up. It's only a level 4 session, and Jean, Spyke, and Nightcrawler have been waiting for fifteen minutes."

Lance shook his fist at the overgrown Boy Scout as soon as his back was turned. As the teens filed up the stairs, he muttered into Kitty's ear, "You'd think he'd be freaking out, given what happened _last_ Danger Room sim."

"Huh?"

"You know, _Rogue_. He's got a crush on her, or something."

Kitty's eyes widened. "Oh yeah."

Unbeknownst to them, Cyclops could hear their hushed voices. He thought to turn around and scold them, but thought better of it, since he didn't want them to see that he was blushing.

* * *

As Spyke put it, level 4 sessions in the Danger Room was "kid's stuff." Professor X had programmed relatively simple activities during his absence so his young charges would be able to keep themselves sharp without requiring supervision. While it was easy, it could sometimes be a pain in the neck, _especially_ when it came to the robotic tentacles.

"Woooaaaaahhh!" Avalanche groaned as the gigantic metal claw snatched him out of the air like a stuffed toy in a claw machine. In a bright flash of sulfur, Kurt latched onto his teammate, and then _bamfed_ them both to safety. Back on the ground, Avalanche covered his mouth to fight back his motion sickness as the X-Men regrouped. The tentacle whipped towards the teens, intent on taking another victim, but was blocked by one of Jean's telekinetic shields.

Cyclops looked ahead at the end of the obstacle course and grinned. Victory was almost within their grasp. "Come on, everyone!" he roused, taking the lead. Avalanche followed, hot on the others' heels, carefully dodging the blasts of a flame-thrower that emerged from the wall. Cyclops, Jean, and Nightcrawler had already made it to safety when the rock-tumbler's attentions were grabbed by the sound of Shadowcat's voice. She had yelped when the Danger Room threw a hurdle in her path, knocking her down. Forgetting everything else, her boyfriend ran to her side.

"You okay?" he asked, helping her up.

Shadowcat's expression looked like something between annoyance and embarrassment. "Yeah, thanks. I guess I just spaced out and forgot to phase."

Nightcrawler pressed a button on a nearby control panel, shutting down the simulation, and 'ported to her side. He put his hands on his hips and teasingly remarked, "_Someone's_ getting a little rusty!"

"Oh hush, Kurt," she pouted, sticking her tongue out at him. "I guess Cyclops was right," she said to Avalanche, rubbing her sore backside, "It _hurts_ to slack off."

He grinned. "Just don't tell _him_ that. Otherwise, he'll _never_ let us out of here."

* * *

Later that morning, Kurt squinted his eyes to hide from the bright gaze of the sun as he ran across the soccer field, striking the ball with his foot and sending it into the net. His team erupted into cheers, one going so far as to playfully slap him on the back.

He jumped into the air, grinning. "Goal!"

The gym class regrouped, and one boy kicked the battered soccer ball with all his might. Airborne, the ball sailed across the field and landed in the bushes several yards away.

"I'll get it!" Kurt said, scampering off. Crouching down, the German glanced around and poked his head into the green foliage. He spotted the ball and reached for it, but someone else beat him to the punch. Kurt fixed his yellow gaze on none other than Tabitha Smith.

"Looking for this?" she asked.

Scowling, Kurt stood and held out his hand. "Ja. Now give it to me."

"Ah, ah, ah!" she pointed a finger at him, taking a step back. "Say _please_."

The elf rolled his eyes, not the least bit amused. "I don't have time for zis. And don't you have somevhere to be zat isn't here?"

The blonde pointed to her own gym class, the members of which were playing on the softball field not far away. "Not really. I just said I had some feminine issues and they let me sit out. I saw you come over here…so I thought I'd say hello."

"Vhy?"

"Don't worry, there's no evil, secret agenda," she teased, trying to hide her nervousness. "I wanted to talk to you. That's all."

"Vell, ve talked. Now can I have ze ball?" he threw out his hand again, looking impatient.

"Only if you promise not to bamf away if I do."

"Fine."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Tabitha tossed him the ball, and once it was secure in his hands he sharply turned on his heel and stormed off.

"Hey!" Tabitha yelled. "You said--!"

"I said I vouldn't 'port. So I'm valking avay," the elf cut her off. "Goodbye."

Tabitha could feel herself start to tremble. He really _was_ walking away that time, and if she didn't reach him then she never would. And if he was going to hate her, it might as well be on her own terms.

_"Blue!"_

"_Don't_ call me zat!" he cringed, spinning around.

"I'll call you whatever the hell I want!" She then took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. It didn't work. "I know why you hate me—and I don't blame you—but listen to what I have to say for just five seconds, okay?"

Kurt crossed his arms over his chest; annoyed, but somehow curious. "Go ahead."

"Okay, look—the Brotherhood screwed us _both_. I was never in on some plan to betray your trust. Hell, I didn't even tell them I met you! But that fink Pietro ratted me out and what he told you about me was a _lie_. I _did _care about you, Blue, and I still do."

As she finished, Kurt closed his eyes, thinking it over. When he opened them again, oddly enough, he didn't hold quite so much animosity towards her. Something in her voice had ringed true. But there was still one thing he wanted to know.

"But if you _vere_ sincere, vhy didn't you come to ze Institute? Ve could have helped you."

Tabitha laughed bitterly. "Oh yeah, like your great and wonderful Professor would have welcomed me."

"He vould have!"

"Maybe—but not when he found out who I am—_what_ I've done! Mystique was my only option…I didn't have a choice."

The elf's eyes narrowed. "Zhere's _alvays_ a choice, Tabitha."

"Pardon me for interrupting this little rendezvous, but don't you two have _classes_ you should be attending?" Principal Darkholme asked. Hands on her hips, she gave them a cold once-over.

"Yes, ma'am," Tabitha mumbled, hoping to be let off easy if she sounded remorseful enough.

"Ve vere just…talking," Kurt piped up, surprised. He hadn't heard the stern-faced principal approach; indeed, it seemed as if she had just appeared out of thin air.

"I don't care. _You_, Mr. Wagner, can go back to where you're supposed to be. But _you_, Ms. Smith, are coming with me."

Kurt heard the faint gasp escape Tabby's lips, and threw a questioning glance at Raven. She dismissed him with her eyes. "Did you not understand something I said? Go back to class!"

Kurt hesitated, but obeyed, kicking the soccer ball back to his waiting teammates. Moments later he looked behind him at the two figures disappearing over the hill in the direction of the school, and felt a pang of something akin to regret.

* * *

Dorothy Grayson hated her job. The hours of a secretary were terrible, the kids were little monsters, and worst of all, she had an absolute bitch of a boss. Fortunately, Ms. Darkholme's car was absent from the teacher parking lot that morning, and she hadn't made an appearance at the office yet. Dorothy was relieved. Any day without Darkholme breathing down her neck and barking out orders was a day she could relax.

"Dorothy, hold my calls!"

The woman dropped the magazine she had been holding as the irate principal thundered in, dragging a student by the arm.

"M-Ms. Darkholme! You're here?" Dorothy murmured, rising from her desk.

"Of course I'm here!" she snapped, throwing open the door to her office. "Now excuse me while I take care of something." Collecting herself, she and the girl entered the office, the door slamming in their wake. Dorothy sighed, and collapsed into her seat.

Ms. Darkholme waltzed over to the front of her office and closed the curtains, blocking the view from any prying eyes. Tabitha stood with her head hanging low and fists by her sides, and she bit her lip to squelch any sound she might make. Raven strode back across the room, facing her young student. Then, with an even breath, she drew back her hand and struck her across the face.

Tabitha stumbled, gasping in shock. The shape-shifter was very adept in the art of pain.

"I warned you," hissed Principal Darkholme. "I warned you to stay away from that boy."

"I didn't do anything wrong," Tabitha spat. "It was totally harmless."

"Liar!"--Tabitha cringed as she was slapped again--"I will not tolerate disobedience from those under my wing. If you try to leave us, or talk to Kurt Wagner again, I will make an example of you."

"All right, fine, sure, whatever," Tabitha said between strained breaths. "I learned my lesson."

"See that you have, Boom-Boom. I _do_ hate to repeat myself. Now get out of here."

She didn't need to be told twice. Straightening up, the girl left the principal's office in a cloud of anger that threatened to erupt into a storm when she saw Pietro waiting for her.

"Guess she really gave it to you, huh? I saw her drag you in there."

She replied, "Yeah, but I bet she didn't hit me hard enough to leave any marks. She must think her fists will keep me in line—but it didn't work for my dad, and it sure as hell ain't going to work for her."

"A fighter's spirit, eh?" Pietro grinned from ear to ear, getting some sort of amusement out of the whole thing. "Cute."

"But if I didn't know better, I'd say there was more to this than me hanging out with an X-Man. Just the sight of me and Blue Boy together drove her off the _edge_."

Her companion laughed and leaned against a locker, holding his chin in his hand. "You know, you're not far off the mark. There's a reason why Mystique has such an interest in your relationship with the X-Geek." He leaned close to her ear, and began to whisper. "She's…"

"What are you up to, Speedy?" It was Rogue who suddenly called out, and she marched down the hall toward the pair. "Leave her alone."

"Back off, I was just telling her a little secret," said the boy sourly. "But it can wait. See you chicks later." Pietro gave them a wink, and a second later buzzed down the halls in a flurry of wind.

"Are you all right?" Rogue asked Tabitha. The Goth took a step towards her but she turned away, upset that she had kept Pietro from divulging his information.

"I don't get it. You swoon over One-Eye and draw little hearts around his name in your notebooks, but I so much as breath the same _oxygen_ as Kurt and I'm eating fist. It's not fucking _fair_." When Rogue made a move to touch her shoulder, the blonde slapped it away. "I knew it was bad when _Pietro_ was sympathetic, but when the girl who can't ever get _laid_ in her _life_ starts pitying _me_, I'm _doomed_."

Any traces of sympathy in Rogue's face drained away as Tabitha's last sentence hung in the air like a foul odor. With a venomous stare Rogue declared, "Fine, you're on your own."

Tabitha shifted her weight from one foot to the other as her teammate stormed off. The sound of her boots on the linoleum floor echoed in her mind as a twinge of guilt stung her heart. Finally Tabby spun around. "Wait!" she cried.

Rogue stopped, and, craning her neck, fixed Tabitha with a cold, questioning gaze.

"God. Hey—I'm sorry, all right?" She exhaled, forcing the words out. "You're the only one here who's ever given a shit about me."

Rogue nodded her head, accepting the apology. "It's…okay. We girls gotta stick together, right?"

* * *

Lance sat by himself in a corner of the cafeteria, strumming his fingers on the tabletop as his food went cold. Kitty was late. Normally she'd meet him by his locker as soon as the lunch bell rang and they'd walk down together, but that day she hadn't, for some reason or another. The time passed slowly as he wondered where she was.

Drifting off into a daze, he closed his eyes. Immediately the pale specters of the X-Men appeared in his mind's eye, stirring back the images from his recent nightmare. He let out a small, startled sound as someone suddenly sat down at his table. His eyes flew open, but it was Scott, not Kitty, who had joined him.

"Did I scare you there, Alvers?" he inquired, teasing him good-naturedly.

"You wish," was the reply. "I just didn't get enough sleep, that's all."

Scott's eyes widened. For some reason he was reminded of a strange night not long ago, and a voice that had spoken to him. "Bad dream?"

"What's it to you?" questioned Lance.

"It's nothing," Scott dismissed with a wave of his hand. "I was just wondering why Kitty hasn't come down to lunch yet."

"That makes two of us."

Just then, as if by magic, Kitty Pryde appeared in the lunchroom entrance, searching the crowd for a particular face. When she saw Lance, she beamed and went over to join him.

"Hey, Lance!" she greeted, then quickly added, "Oh hi, Scott." She pulled up a seat at the table, looking flustered. "Were you waiting for me? I'm sorry, like, Ms. Conway sprung a pop quiz on us and it took me forever to finish."

"It's all right. You're here now."

She smiled dreamily. "Yeah."

At that point Scott figured it was time to leave. "I'll be on my way then. Later, you guys."

"What's with him?" the girl asked as Scott retreated back to his usual table with Jean, Evan, and Kurt. "He looked kinda odd."

"You mean more odd than normal? Yeah, I think something's eatin' at him."

"Rogue?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe. Or maybe all that 'fearless leader' crap finally turned his brains to mush," he said with a snicker.

"He really likes her, doesn't he?" Kitty quietly mused.

"I guess so. Surprising, since he's been mooning over Queen Jean for so long…hey, what's up?"

She looked at him. "Hmm?"

Lance blinked. "For a second there, it looked like you spaced out."

Kitty giggled. "Oh, sorry. I was just thinking...you want to do something tonight?"

The boy reached across the table and held her hand. "Sure. You got any ideas?"

Kitty dazzled him with an alluring smile. "I have a few."

Logan had been inside the castle once before. Nothing had changed in those long weeks—it was devoid of any life, human or mutant, and dust collected on the machines that lay destroyed on the floor of the interconnecting laboratories. The air still lingered with the heavy scent of chemicals and something that reminded the burly Canadian of burnt flesh. While the odor bothered his sharp nose, it didn't seem to upset the Professor at all.

Xavier looked around the laboratories, carefully maneuvering his cumbersome wheelchair around the shorted out devices. He was searching for something, though he hadn't told Logan what it was. Still, he had his suspicions.

"You saw Magneto, didn't you?"

Xavier did not deny it. "He knows about the Mindcoil, Logan, and he plans to retrieve it. So, with time running out, we've come here to find exactly what Magneto plans to do with it."

"Come on, Charles, we _both_ know what he's up to. That thing's a weapon. A mighty powerful one, at that."

"Indeed. Given my own history with the Mindcoil, I thought I could easily control it. But it's becoming increasingly difficult."

Logan put his hands on his hips. "How so?"

"It…made contact with Scott."

Logan's eyes went wide in disbelief. He looked at the Professor in anger, but kept his more hostile thoughts to himself. "What did it do to the kid?"

"Nothing, really. It touched his mind over the Christmas holiday, nothing more. He probably thinks it was just a bad dream. But the Mindcoil told me of this itself. It's becoming curious about the outside world, and is hungry for more knowledge and experience. And its powers are growing."

Logan rubbed his temple. "That settles it. We should have never allowed that thing to get a mind of its own. I've seen enough science fiction flicks in my time to know how _this_ turns out…I say we destroy it, before it can hurt any of the students or fall into Magneto's hands."

"No, Logan!" said Xavier firmly. "I _can_ control it, and it will harm no one."

His companion threw out his arms. "Control it? From here? That's pushin' it, even for you, Charles. And with you gone, Magneto could attack the Institute." He gazed at the abandoned laboratory. "I've got a bad feeling. There's _nothing_ to find in this dump; we're wasting our time."

Xavier sighed. "The bindings I placed on the Mindcoil before we left will prevent it from using its powers. And Magneto will not make a move with me absent, that I am sure of."

"Oh really?" scoffed Logan.

"Yes. I knew this man for years. I know how he thinks. What he wants is a _confrontation_. When he makes his move, he'll want me to be there, to _see_ it." He slowly closed one hand into a fist.

"If you say so, Charles."

Xavier said nothing more. He continued his exploration of the castle, still searching for something that might give him the information he needed. He left his companion behind to scour one laboratory that appeared to have once been the secret base's center of operations. On one wall there was a massive computer system that seemed mostly intact; Xavier wheeled over to it. It was possible that it could still be operated. He turned on various switches on the control panel, until finally the large screen flickered to life.

Logan followed the Professor, and he was amazed to see that he found something that actually worked. The amazement was short-lived, however, as he thought about his previous journeys to that place. Everything had been demolished so that Magneto could cover his tracks, and it was in his haste that he was careless enough to leave behind what eventually grew to become the Mindcoil. He had been so positive that nothing was left, so why did this computer system work and look so well maintained? His bad feeling did not go away.

Xavier continued to work at the control panel, calling up various logs and records that still remained on the hard drive. After several minutes he found a very promising file codenamed "Project Vortex." He perused it, his stellar mind absorbing the information in seconds.

_So this is it_, thought Xavier. _I knew he was strong in his convictions, but I had no idea he was willing to go so far._ He looked over the file again, committing it to memory. _This is madness. The Mindcoil does have the potential for great power, but nothing at this scale…or does it? What powers does it have that lay untapped? _

_

* * *

_

The night was cool, dark, and very still. The heavens above were an inky black, save for the white splendor of the full moon that shone down upon Bayville. A ghostly wind whispered through the trees at Lookout Point, and the earthly silence was broken by a car that slowly drove up to a secluded spot.

"Here we are," said Lance as he put his jeep in neutral.

"Oh wow." Kitty's cerulean eyes were glimmering as she drank in the view. Smiling mischievously, she slid out of the car and stepped into the night. "It's unbelievable," she murmured, gazing at the small, sleeping town below the precipice. The moment was almost magical; it was if she could reach out and hold Bayville in the palm of her hand.

"I told you the view was something else," said the boy proudly. He emerged from the jeep and sat atop the hood, fixing his eyes on the moon.

"I'm so glad we came out here," said Kitty, who sat beside him, moving her warm body next to his. "I've missed just…being alone with you."

"Mmmhmm," he murmured, closing his eyes and putting an arm around her.

Kitty snuggled a little closer, nuzzling him. The mood was set by the music playing from inside Lance's jeep; the soft notes seemed to envelop the two and draw them closer together.

"I've missed…_being_ with you." Her words were whispers as she moved towards him, inviting a kiss. He obliged, and pressed their lips together. It was long and deep, the kiss; and at his touch Kitty blossomed for him like a flower. He felt like he was smoldering, and it took all his strength to pull away before he succumbed to the passion completely.

"Kitty," he whispered.

She pressed her small form against him, burying her face in the folds of his black t-shirt. "Lance, I…I'm so scared."

"Scared? Why?"

"Yesterday, in the caves…when the Brotherhood attacked me…it was almost like looking death in the face, Lance. I've fought the Brotherhood before, but that was with you and the X-Men by my side. I was never alone, never helpless until then. As totally overdramatic as it sounds, I was really afraid of the Brotherhood for the first time. I don't know…after we escaped I had, like, a realization. Our time together, our love…it could _all_ be over in a second. Doesn't that scare you?"

Lance was silent for a moment. "I suppose so. But don't think like that, Kitty. There's nothing the Brotherhood can do to pull us apart."

Tears were welling up in the corners of her eyes. "But even so…I don't want to have any regrets. I don't want to have held anything back from you, Lance."

"What do you mean?"

He had his answer in an instant, as Kitty kissed him fiercely upon the mouth. What happened next went by in a blur. He was dimly aware of taking her hand and guiding her into the back of his jeep, but as he continued to kiss her another part of the boy seemed to exist _outside_ of time, observing the embrace from a distance and listening to the song the radio began to play.

With a moan, Lance threw off his jacket and pulled his shirt over his head before struggling with the buttons on Kitty's blouse. He felt like he was burning up. Lance lay the girl down on the leather backseat and covered her in more fiery kisses that trailed from her lips down her neck to her bare navel. Their bodies pressed together in the cramped space, and Kitty's hands traveled down his chest to the button of his jeans.

Kitty ran her hands through his disheveled hair, exclaiming his name over and over again as he filled her. Their senses were enflamed with pleasure, and Lance had never felt more alive, more _whole_, than when he was with her. Upon reaching the pinnacle of physical delight he collapsed atop her, his breath hard and heavy. Her heart still pounding, she wrapped her arms around his sweaty form.

"I love you so much," Lance whispered between breaths.

Kitty could only smile.

* * *

Lance didn't remember falling asleep, but he remembered waking up. He felt a chill and stirred, groggily brushing the sand from his eyes. It took several moments for the boy to realize where he was—in the back of his jeep, naked, and alone. He sat up suddenly. No, that couldn't be right. But there was no body curled up beside him, no girl sitting up front waiting for him. He looked down at the car floor and saw only his own wrinkled, discarded clothing. Kitty was gone.

_"Kitty?"_ he called, hearing nothing in return except for the crackling static on the radio. Without further preamble Lance pulled on his jeans and sneakers and left the car, yelling her name once more. Maybe she was just stargazing again, or wandering around in the dark. Maybe she decided to play a little bit of a joke on him. Any minute now she would burst out of the shadows and cry, "Gotcha!"

But she didn't come. Lance was alone.

Time passed very slowly as the boy scoured the area, squinting for any sign of his girlfriend. With no success he returned to the jeep and grabbed his cell phone, dialing a number he knew by heart. The phone rang and rang, but he never heard Kitty's bright, beautiful voice on the other end.

Something was very, very wrong.

Not knowing what else to do, Lance got back in the car and left Lookout Point, praying he would find some answers at the mansion.

* * *

Kurt Wagner was sprawled across his bed, blue nose buried in a history textbook. Studying proved worthless, however, since it was impossible to concentrate. He just couldn't stop thinking about Tabitha. He thought about her words, her smile, and the look of fear that had passed across her face when Ms. Darkholme sent her to her office.

_Stop it, just stop it_, he ordered himself. _She's not to be trusted, remember? Do you vant to be made a fool out of again?_

It was by chance that he happened to gaze outside his window at that moment, and see a person wandering down the front drive of the Institute. He couldn't identify them, and thought nothing of it at first. It was probably Scott coming home from his study group, or perhaps Ororo or her nephew returning from their visit to the mall. It might have been Lance or Kitty, though Kurt suspected that they wouldn't be back from their date until much later. It was when the figure collapsed that his mental alarm went off.

The elf teleported outside, and took the injured form into his arms. In an instant they were in the mansion's front hall, and to his horror Kurt saw that it was Kitty in his grasp.

Her clothes were torn and her hair an unruly mess. One of her pretty blue eyes had been blackened, and there was another discolored bruise along her jaw. Her bottom lip was split open, and a thin trail of blood dripped down her face. There was more blood on her hands from when she had tried to scratch and fight off whoever had done this to her. The girl lay limp in his arms, as if it taken all of her strength to make it that far home. Her eyelids fluttered open and a groan escaped her lips.

"Kitty! Mein Gott, vhat happened to you!"

There were sounds of footsteps racing down the main staircase, and Jean Grey appeared, her long crimson mane flowing behind her. "Kurt, is something--" Her sentence ended in a gasp.

"Just hang in zhere, Kitty, okay? Vhere's Lance?"

Shuddering, the injured girl clutched Kurt's three-fingered hand. "_Luh_-Lance…was the one who d-did this to me."

* * *

The rock-tumbler noted the three illuminated windows in the mansion as he drove up the driveway, fear and worry gnawing at his insides. He entered his home and immediately felt a strange kind of chill in the air; it kept him from announcing his return. The mansion was normally bubbling over in activity, and while he knew many of the mutant residents were away, the silence was positively creepy.

He cautiously crept up the stairs toward the bedrooms that had given off the light, and swallowed a lump in his throat. As he slowly continued his march he saw that Kitty's bedroom door was ajar, and voices could be heard whispering inside it. One definitely belonged to his missing girlfriend, but her hushed, haggard tone accented with the occasional sob stopped him in his tracks.

Kitty was sitting at the edge of her frilly pink bed, clutching Lockheed to her breast and sandwiched between Kurt and Jean, who were trying to comfort her.

"Please, honey, I know this is difficult, but you have to tell us what happened," said Jean in her most motherly voice.

"We went to the movies, but it ended early. I…I didn't want to come back yet so I asked him to take me for a drive…he took me to this place at Lookout Point, and we started kissing…" At that point the girl started to cry in long, dry heaves, her entire body trembling. "He went too far and I said, 'Stop it, Lance!' but he didn't. _Huh-_He told me n-not to be so uptight. He t-t-told me that he was _suh__-_sick of waiting, and that if I loved him I would do it. I said no and he-_he_--" Her voice broke.

"Oh, Kitty," Kurt murmured, hugging the crying girl. "Ve're here, and ve von't let anyzing happen to you."

"Why didn't you phase away?" Jean asked.

"_I don't know!_" she choked. "I-I couldn't think after he first h-hit me, I was too scared! He had never done anything like that before, I swear!"

"Kitty, did he…_finish_ inside you?"

The girl nodded. "You were right all along, Jean…I _loved_ him and he…he _raped_ me!"

A small, horrified sound escaped Lance Alvers' lips, and the keys he had been holding fell to the floor. The sudden noise grabbed Jean's attention, and the door flew open, revealing Lance's petrified self.

_You!_

It was a single word, a single _thought_, but it hit the boy like a hammer to the skull. It propelled him forward, and he impacted the floor with a sickeningly loud crash. He stood despite the pain shooting through him, just as his attacker entered the hall. Her eyes were ablaze with fury, and he knew that if he planned on living he had to move _now_.

So he did. He bolted down the stairs and out the front door with remarkable speed, his blood pounding in his ears. As he ran he thanked God he had forgotten to close the gates behind him when he drove in earlier, but his prayers were silenced as a giant tree limb that had been telekinetically propelled slammed into his shoulder, knocking him down.

You're not running away, you bastard!

She raised the limb again as if to beat him down once more, but it was Kitty of all people who saved him by pouncing on Jean.

"No! Don't hurt him!" she wailed helplessly.

"But Kitty--!" Again, Jean's thoughts were left incomplete as she turned her attentions back on Lance, or at least, where he had been a moment ago. Apparently the boy had taken advantage of the distraction to flee the Institute gates, and he was nowhere in sight.

"Why did you…!" demanded Jean in confusion. Her only answer was the continued sobbing of a very sad, abused girl.

Meanwhile, trudging through the dark forest, Lance was in excruciating pain. Once he was sure he wasn't being pursued by an enraged telekinetic he leaned against a tree and touched his injured shoulder. His nausea increased when he felt the sticky, wet substance that was now all over his hand. Too much had happened far too fast, and he succumbed to his dizziness. But before he lost all consciousness he felt a powerful gust of wind and heard a short, high laugh in his ear.

* * *

"Oh my God."

"Yo, is that _blood_? What the hell happened?"

"I-Is he gonna be okay?"

"Just shut up and get off the couch, fatso."

Lance's temple throbbed as the words resounded in his head. He was dropped like a lead weight on something soft—a couch, someone had said? He was brought back to the world of the living when his wounded shoulder screamed in agony.

"Watch it! He's hurt! Someone get Destiny!"

There was a flurry of activity all around, but the boy could identify none of the blurry figures that surrounded him. He tried to sit up but fell back, his strength all but gone. He then felt a cool hand on his forehead that wiped away the beads of sweat that dotted his brow.

"Shh. Sleep," the woman said in a quiet, measured voice, and Lance relinquished his grip on the world once again.

"He's lost a lot of blood," Irene snapped to attention, her sightless eyes staring at the young faces all around her. She reached for the medical kit Todd had fetched for her, and, after pulling off the injured mutant's shirt, began to clean and dress the wound with startling efficiency.

The Brotherhood of Mutants all watched this take place with stunned expressions, and only Pietro Maximoff seemed to have any clue about what was going on. Rogue turned to him, full of questions.

"What happened to him? Where did you _find_ him?"

Pietro was a person who loved to be the focus of attention, so he was secretly eating it up as the eyes of his teammates turned to him for answers. He didn't reply immediately, but paused for dramatic effect and folded his arms over his chest. "Destiny warned me that she had a vision of an injured mutant who needed help. She told me where to look, and who should I find but Lancey Boy, bleeding and knocked out under a tree."

"So who beat him up?" Tabitha interjected. "I thought he was supposed to be pretty tough."

"It would appear to me that Rocky's own teammates, the X-Geeks, were the ones who did it. I picked him up not far from their swanky Institute and saw Miss Perfect swagger inside and shut the gates behind her."

Rogue's blood went cold. The X-Men? It _couldn't_ be…

A shadow passed over Tabitha Smith's face, and she walked over to the battered brown sofa that had become a hospital bed. "So what do we do now?" she asked, staring at Lance's sleeping countenance.

It was Irene who answered. "We wait."

_Wait?_ Wait for what? For _whom?_ These questions went unasked as the night grew long. None of the young mutants at the Brotherhood of Bayville Boarding House could sleep, for they were far too troubled. What would they do about their new visitor? Were the X-Freaks planning an attack to get him back? Only two, a blind older woman and an impetuous speed demon, knew the truth about the unexpected turn of events, and who was behind it all.

* * *

Fred had been elected to keep watch in case any more guests came calling while Todd curled up and snoozed in a recliner that faced the X-Man. The husky mutant was struggling to keep his eyes open when he heard a rustling in the bushes outside. He peeked out the window, squinting his cow-like eyes, and saw that it was a person approaching. They stepped out of the shadows into the porch lights and revealed themselves to be none other than a battered and disheveled Kitty Pryde.

Fred growled, "Hey, you! Get lost—no X-Geeks allowed!"

Kitty kept walking, and waltzed up the porch steps until she was facing him. The girl then batted her big blue eyes and placed a dainty hand on his chest.

"Freddy…" It was Kitty who purred his name, but it was _Mystique_ who pushed him out of her way, sneering, "Don't be an idiot."

"Mystique? It's you?"

The shape-shifter ignored him, save for rolling her eyes. She then approached Todd and gave a firm kick to the recliner he was sleeping on. The boy was jolted awake and let out a small, frightened shriek when he saw his leader's cross expression.

"Get Pietro," she ordered. "Time to initiate Phase Three."

A small vial of smelling salts was waved under Lance's nose, and the boy spluttered and gasped at the powerful scent. He opened his eyes and saw that it was Pietro hovering over him; he recoiled at the unwelcome sight.

"Get away from me," he hissed. Pulling away from the silver-haired boy, he stole a glance at his unfamiliar surroundings. He was lying on a couch in what appeared to be a normal, if slightly derelict, living room that certainly wasn't in the mansion. Where was he? What in God's name was going on?

"Is that any way to talk to your savior?" asked Pietro in a disgusted voice. At Lance's questioning, half-crazed look he began to explain. "Don't _tell _me you don't remember. Your friends left you for _dead_. I saw that bitch attack you, and it was all because of that backstabbing pussycat, wasn't it?"

The rock tumbler clutched his head as the other boy's words sank in. The terrible memories were coming back to him—making love to Kitty, only to have her vanish; returning home to hear allegations of rape, and the savage attack of a girl who thought her worst fears had come true. It had to be a nightmare; there was no other explanation. This could _not_ be happening…yet the pain in his bandaged shoulder told him it was all too real.

"No," he murmured, squeezing his hands into fists so tight his knuckles turned white. "That wasn't Kitty…She would _never_…"

"Oh, _wake up_, Alvers," Pietro snapped. "Those Xavier freaks have finally shown their true colors. You can't possibly want anything to do with them after that."

"And what would _you_ know about what I want?" challenged Lance, who forced himself to stand. Grabbing his blood-soaked t-shirt off the floor, he staggered towards the front door, only to have his exit blocked by the lightning-quick speedster.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked with a laugh.

"Get out of my way, Pietro," snarled Lance behind clenched teeth. The room began to shake under the influence of his powers, and he was more than willing to knock the whole house down if it meant escaping. He _had_ to go back. Even if Jean tried to kill him, he _had_ to find Kitty.

But there was no escaping. Fred Dukes burst in from another room and rushed Lance with his gigantic mass. He took the struggling boy in a firm grasp and dragged him across the house to a bolted door. Fred's fat hand pushed it open, almost knocking it off the hinges, and forced Lance down the stairs into the basement.

"Let—me—_go_!" Lance screamed, clawing frantically at the giant hands wrapped around his body. The world around them continued to quake, but Fred was unaffected. As a last resort Lance sunk his teeth into his arm, but a sharp hit to the back of his head forced him to let go.

The Brotherhood of Bayville Boarding House's basement was like a cruel imitation of the Danger Room; the reinforced metal walls looked like they could withstand a nuclear blast, and it was crowded with strange and terrible machines whose purpose he could barely fathom. Lance took this all in and expected it to be a sort of torture chamber. He felt no fear, just an overwhelming urgency to escape.

He was shoved into a chair outfitted with leather straps that Fred tightly wound around his arms and legs, keeping him still. The gang was all there—Pietro, looking smug and triumphant; Todd and Fred, curious if uncertain; Irene, whose thoughts were her own; Rogue and Tabitha, who huddled together and exchanged wary glances; and a fearsome woman who Lance had met only once before. Mystique reached down and cupped his chin in her scaly hand.

"Welcome to our humble abode, Mr. Alvers," she droned in a voice that he had heard somewhere else before. "It's so nice to see you again."

Lance returned the greeting by spitting in her face.

Mystique's eyes bulged, and for a moment it looked as if she'd rip the heart from his living chest. But instead her lips curled into a wicked grin, and she snapped her fingers. "I know how to fix that attitude problem of yours."

The door to the basement suddenly opened, surprising many of the youngsters. A small, hunched figure had responded to Mystique's call and waddled down the stairs. He had dark, bushy hair and a scraggly beard, clothed in an old, brown trenchcoat. Mastermind parted the small gaggle of mutants and stared at Lance for a moment. He then looked at the shape-shifter.

"This is the boy?" he asked in a rough voice.

She nodded. "You know what to do."

Irene put her hands on Rogue and Tabitha's shoulders, motioning them upstairs. Both thought to protest or ask questions, but something about the precognitive's expression told them that leaving was not debatable. Pietro, Todd, and Fred soon followed, with Mystique bringing up the rear.

"Let's leave the Master to do his work," said she as the door closed, leaving the rock-tumbler at the mercy of the new mutant.

* * *

"Who _was_ that guy? Where did he _come_ from?" demanded Tabitha as the Brotherhood filed into the living room that doubled as their base of operations.

Irene answered, "His name is Jason Wyngarde, but he prefers to be called Mastermind. He's actually been here for several days, but none of you were able to see him because he did not wish you to. That is his power; to cloud minds and alter thoughts and perceptions."

"He's another of our benefactor's trusted associates," finished Mystique, her tone clear that it was the only information she would give.

"Our benefactor…you mean Magneto?" asked Rogue. She had heard the name before, but could not put a face to it.

Mystique nodded.

Fred Dukes turned his eyes to the basement door and chewed his lip. "Is he gonna hurt Lance? Not that I care, or nuthin'," he hastened to add.

Mystique couldn't help herself; she began to chuckle. "Yes, I imagine he _will_ hurt him. Quite a bit."

"It's his own fault!" Pietro exclaimed. "I tried to talk reason with him, but his skull's as hard as the rocks he moves."

"But _why_ is he _here_? You disappear for a day an' suddenly all hell breaks loose. What's goin' _on_?" Rogue faced Mystique, her eyes flashing. There was something in her harsh gaze that affected the shape-shifter in a way she didn't like. It was hard to resist her.

"All right, Rogue. You might recall yesterday's field trip to the Taipos Caves. Avalanche and Shadowcat went along, as did our own Toad, Blob, and Quicksilver. I attended as well, taking the form of a boy who was…_misinformed_ about the departure time. As school principal I altered the partner list in order to split up the little couple, and while the twit was all alone we attacked, and I took on her form. I then had a tearful reunion with Mr. Alvers and told him of my _valiant_ escape from the terrible Brotherhood. Mastermind, who had also snuck aboard the trip and clouded the students' minds so as not to be seen, then made himself appear as the other boy. Thus, no one was wiser to the switch.

"As Kitty Pryde, I lured Avalanche away from the mansion and…_fulfilled_ his physical need. Then while he slept I returned 'home' having made myself appear savagely beaten. I told Jean Grey and Nightcrawler that it was Avalanche who had violated me, and when the poor boy came back they had turned on him. He fled, getting that wound in the ensuing struggle. Fortunately I was able to divert that stupid girl's attention long enough for him to escape. Then Pietro, who I had alerted earlier, found him and brought him here. So…does that answer your question?"

Rogue was silent, horrorstruck as her leader's words echoed in her mind. It was all so terrible, so--so _unbelievable_…

Tabitha ribbed Pietro, glaring. "So much for helping a poor, injured mutant, eh?" she whispered angrily. He narrowed his eyes at her, but gave no reply.

Surprisingly, it was Todd who spoke up, scratching his head. "I don't get it. Why go through all that for him? What's so special 'bout that geek?"

"There's nothing special about him. Not really. But out of all the X-Men he was the outsider, the one straying from the pack. To fulfill Magneto's plan we _needed_ one of Xavier's charges, and he was simply the easiest target. All it took was some spying around Bayville High to see that his teammates didn't like him, didn't trust him. Their ties to him were tenuous at best, and easy to break. The one complication was that valley girl smitten with him." Mystique paused a moment, remembering a time when she had spied on the mutant lovers, listening to Lance vow revenge on a jock who had tried to sexually assault Kitty. "She was his weakness. Get rid of her, and he'd be ripe for the taking."

"So you made everyone think that he had _raped _her?" Rogue asked, barely hiding her disgust.

"Yes. Jean Grey was afraid Alvers would take advantage of his girlfriend for some time. And if Kitty appeared battered and bleeding and named Lance as her attacker, whom were they going to believe?"

"You switched places with Kitty…so what happened to the _real_ her?"

"She's been taken care of."

More silence filled the room as the Brotherhood felt the weight of her implication.

"So what's the plan?" Pietro Maximoff eventually asked, stepping forward. "Why do we need Avalanche on our side?"

Mystique folded her arms over her chest, her white eyes gleaming. "We need him to infiltrate the Xavier Institute in order to reclaim something that rightfully belongs to us."

"Which is…?"

"The Mindcoil." She said the words slowly, as if tasting the name. "A bio-organic weapon of _limitless_ power. Magneto was developing it when, in a moment of carelessness, Xavier stole it from one of his secret locations. It's hidden in the depths of the Institute somewhere beyond even _my_ reach. Even if I were to take on the shape of one of the X-Men, the security devices he has implemented would be able to identify me as an intruder and expose me before I could get anywhere near it. To get the Mindcoil, I need someone with _access_, someone the bald fool would never see coming."

Pietro smirked. "Avalanche."

Pleased with her young follower, Mystique stroked his cheek. "Yes…and now, with Xavier and Wolverine away and the little X-Children divided against each other, we will strike. Tonight."

Before anything else was said, a sharp scream cut through the air, startling everyone. All eyes flew to the basement, where it had originated.

"Well, well," grinned Mystique. "Let's see how our boy is doing."

* * *

The Brotherhood had vacated the basement in order to let "the master do his work," and Lance felt a cold shiver run down his spine as he was left alone with the newcomer. Swallowing, he struggled against the bindings on his arms and legs to no avail. He was trapped.

"Don't put up a fight, boy," said Mastermind coolly. "The more you cooperate, the easier it will be."

"The easier _what_ will be!"

There was no answer. Mastermind reached towards him, placing his fingers on the rock-tumbler's temple, and the world began to spin once more.

He came to his senses slowly, floating alone in a black space in which nothing could be seen. But then, suddenly, he felt another's presence somewhere in the never-ending darkness. There was a voice in the void, calling out to him.

_Who are you?_

"Lance Alvers. Avalanche."

_What are you?_

"A mutant. An X-Man."

_Oh, really?_

Darkness.

In the midst of his consciousness, stray bits of fragmented memories rose to the surface of the abyss, and another voice, that of a child, could be heard crying.

…At eight years old, Lance was a very self-sufficient boy. He had to be. It was late that night, and both his parents were asleep. That was why he had to be quiet as he pulled up the stool to reach the bathroom sink, and why he had to bite his lip to keep from crying. He had to be a good boy. He couldn't wake up Mommy and Daddy. Lance cleaned his shirt in the sink, scrubbing it with soap until at last the bloodstains faded. And if anyone asked about the bruise, he'd just say he was in another fight. His father certainly hadn't hit him…after all, Lance was a good boy…

_Who are you?_

…His face slammed against the pavement, the laughter of the bullies ringing in his ears. He was ugly, stupid, and pathetic, they said. Why else would his parents abandon him? They ran off, leaving him alone on the cold ground, blood pouring from his nose, the plastic action figure he had treasured so much in pieces. The bullies had spared nothing. Then, he felt a hand touch his head.

"Hey, are you all right?" a boy his age asked. Lance looked up at the two smiling kids, wincing at the unfamiliar touch.

"I'm Pete, and this is Griff," the boy said, motioning to his friend. "Don't worry about those guys, they always pick on newcomers. Hey…do you want to hang out with us?"

_What do you want?_

"This institution is the last place your kind has!"

Lance snorted as his counselor lectured him and his two cronies. At fourteen, Lance was tall and lanky, having not quite grown into his frame yet. He was full of the impatience and frustration that came with being a troubled youth, and at that moment he had no desire to listen to another tirade from a bitter old man.

"Do you think this is _funny_?" he demanded, prompting more snickers from Griff.

Standing next to the geezer was the center's phys. ed. teacher, a hulking brute of a man in a yellow sweat suit, and he cracked his knuckles gleefully. "Maybe _this_ will get through to you," he said, before punching Lance squarely in the jaw.

"You boys are nothing but hoods. _Scum_. You'll _always_ be scum," the old man sneered contemptuously.

The trio was then pushed out of the office, clutching their swollen faces. As the door slammed shut, Pete kicked the wall with all his might, releasing his rage on the world.

"Those prigs," he cursed. "Those damn prigs! They won't get away with this!"

Lance clenched his fists so hard his nails began to dig into his palms. "They won't kick us down in the dirt forever, man. Someday, I'll make them pay. I'll prove them _wrong_."

The floor began to tremble, ever so slightly…

_What do you feel?_

…Lance was a mutant, though he didn't know the word. He didn't know how or why, but he could make the earth quake with a flick of his wrist or a stomp on the ground. He should have been thrilled. After all, this was what he had wanted. This was his _chance_. He wasn't scum like Jerry the Bully, or the other delinquents fouling up the home for boys. He was different. He had _power_.

But he wasn't happy.

Pete and Griff, the only two people who had made life at the center bearable, now looked at him in fear. He could see it their eyes.

_Freak_.

So he had gained something he always craved at the cost of something he held dear. The pain festered over time, eventually boiling into anger. But still, despite his belief that he didn't need _anyone_ anymore, he deeply wished for someone to understand what he was going through. Someone who was like him. _Different_…

_Who do you love?_

…And there she was, tumbling out of her locker and into his life. With her coming a whole new life was opened for Lance. He could live with others of his kind, and be loved. He was a part of something big and truly good, something that would benefit the world in ways he didn't think possible. He was an X-Man.

There were more voices in the void, more memories.

"There's a lot of good in you, Lance, and you shouldn't deny that."

"Good work."

"I love you."

But also…

"God, what's your problem? You're never going to fit in with that attitude!"

"You _deserve_ to be punished!"

"He…he _raped_ me!"

Lance gasped as the words penetrated, cutting into him like knives. He thought to cover his ears, block out the painful reminders of his shattered life, but the voices wouldn't stop. He was alone in the void, abandoned, helpless, at the mercy of an unseen foe that could pick apart his brain and rearrange the pieces as he saw fit. What was worst of all was that it was his own teammates, and the girl he loved, who had brought him to that hellish place.

He heard his voice cry out, "_Kitty…!_ Please…_help_ me…!"

_Why do you call out for her?_

"Because I _need_ her."

_She betrayed you._

"No. I don't _believe_ it. It's a _lie_!"

_Is it?_

He could see her in his mind's eye. He remembered Kitty throwing her arms around his middle, thanking him for saving her from Riley and her gang…pulling her shivering body next to his by the poolside and tasting her lips for the first time…taking her virginity in a steamy hotel room…but the tender images soon disappeared, replaced with Kitty's scornful face, her hate-filled words ringing in his ears.

"He…he raped me!"

"No!"

Again, the voice spoke.

_Do you want to be good?_

Yes—yes, he always did. He wanted to be a good child, so that he parents would love him. But he had failed them, and they had left him behind, never once looking back. He wanted to be a good student so he could leave the children's home, forget the screaming and the abuse, and try to have a normal life. But he was a "worthless, useless child; a waste of a human being that will amount to nothing" as the counselor would say behind closed doors when he thought no one could hear him. The words had angered Lance, but also filled him with purpose. Fine. If that were all that was expected of him, he would live up to their expectations. He was tired of bending himself and holding back just to meet others' approval when nothing he ever did was good enough. _Never good enough._

But…he had his friends. Griff and Pete. He saw their small, smiling faces as they helped him stand after his harsh introduction to life at the orphanage.

"Do you want to hang out with us?"

The image changed. Pete and Griff were older now, their smiles replaced by grimaces. Pete raised the bat in his hands, face contorted in rage, ready to strike Lance and kill him.

"You're gonna get it _now_, freak!"

_Never good enough._

What did they _want_ from him?

Avalanche thought he had a family; a dysfunctional one, to be sure, but one nonetheless. For a while, it was the closest he had to the real thing. He had played the part of an X-Man—wore the silly costume, completed the backbreaking training sessions, and battled other mutants in even sillier costumes—all in all, he was a good little mutant. In return Lance thought he had finally found the place where he belonged and the love he had secretly, _shamefully_ hoped for, but had given up on. But nothing he did was ever good enough for _them_.

So they abandoned him, like his parents…left him lying broken on the cold ground like the bullies of his youth…laughed at the colossal joke they had played on him, like the counselors…They were liars, all of them. And _she_ was the worst. Kitty Pryde…she would pay for what she had taken from him.

Mastermind shivered, suddenly feeling very cold. The job was done. Though it had proved to be more difficult than originally expected, the final piercing scream from his patient was proof that he had completed what he set out to do. The basement door opened, and the Brotherhood silently filed in, grim-faced as if part of a funeral procession. They were led by Mystique, who went to his side.

She asked, "How is he?"

"Awake."

The voice startled Rogue and Tabitha. They had been staring at Lance's unmoving form; hunched forward against the straps, head bent down, he looked like he was dead. But he had answered their leader's question in a cold, passionless voice, very much alive.

"Untie me," he said.

Todd stammered something incomprehensible, no doubt trying to say that it probably wouldn't be wise to untie the guy who they had practically kidnapped and tortured, especially when he sounded as scary as _that_. But he had lost his voice, and neither Fred nor Pietro dared to say anything.

Irene studied Lance Alvers, her face neutral despite her troubling thoughts. _The child of rage has awakened and been set free_. _Will what I've seen come to pass?_

Mystique fulfilled the boy's request, releasing his restraints. Lance stood and rubbed his sore wrists; his long, dark hair fell down his face, obscuring his eyes.

"You know what you must do," said Mystique evenly.

Lance looked into her white, sinister eyes, his thoughts amazingly clear. "Yes, I know exactly what I must do."

Smiling, Mystique wrapped her arms around him. "Avalanche, welcome to the Brotherhood."

To Be Continued…

**Author's Notes:** Behold the CLIFFHANGER! It's a beautiful, evil thing. Yup, this is the kind of chapter you get when Sandoz watches too much _Neon Genesis Evangelion_ over spring break. So, will Lance snap out of it, or will he really fight the X-Men? Why does everyone want to get his hands on the Mindcoil, and what is its true nature? Will Rogue and Tabitha side with their hearts, or the Brotherhood? What did Mystique do with Kitty? I suppose you'll have to keep reading to find out. :grin:

**me** Sorry, no bedroom…did the back of his jeep suffice:p

**Ambrosia:** Thanks for all the reviews! I'll have to fix the "miens" and a wife-beater is just a name for a sleeveless white shirt. Just picture Lance's nightclothes in "Joyride" and that's pretty much it. Don't worry about Pietro; things may look a little bad now, but he's not _totally_ on the dark side.

**One Last Note:** the lyrics to "The World Spins" are by David Lynch, with vocals by Julee Cruise.

Thanks for reading, everyone! -Sandoz


	13. Heart of Stone

**Chapter 13: Heart of Stone**

"I don't believe this."

Jean Grey turned sharply, fixing the boy across the room with a maddened look. "You have to, Scott. It _happened_."

Letting out a deep breath, Scott Summers ran his hands through his hair. He had returned from a late-night study session at the local library only a half hour earlier, and after being rushed upstairs by Jean and Kurt, heard the long, horrible story about what had befallen Kitty…at least, what they _thought_ had happened. Now the three teens were in Jean's posh bedroom, debating their next course of action. 

"How—_why_ would he do something like that? Jesus, I sat with him at lunch today and everything was _fine_. This makes no sense!"

"It makes perfect sense to me," said Jean quietly, angrily.

"Well, Jean, I don't know how to say this, but you've always had a thing against Lance."

The redhead scowled, her pretty face burning. "What's that supposed to mean? As if you've never clashed with 'Alvers'!"

Scott opened his mouth to snap back, but held his tongue. He took a deep, calming breath, and said, "I know he and I haven't seen eye to eye on a lot of things, but that doesn't mean I think he's capable of raping someone. I saw how he treated Kitty—we all did! He was totally gone on her."

"So what are you saying, Scott? That Kitty _lied_?"

"No—I don't know _what_ I'm saying." He threw down his hands and started to pace around the room, circling Jean's bed as he pondered. "All right. Kitty said that she was too shocked and afraid to phase away, right? So how did she get away and end up here? And why would Alvers come back if he had raped her? He _had_ to have known what kind of welcome he'd get!"

"_Someone_ hurt her." Kurt slammed his fist against the wall, unable to listen to any more. "Someone ripped her clothes and gave her zhose bruises…I never zhought zis vould happen either, but if Lance didn't do it, who did?"

"I should go talk to her," said Scott, reaching for the doorknob. Jean grabbed his arm before he could leave, holding him in place.

"Scott, _no_. Let's just leave her be for a little bit, all right? She's just gone through something unimaginable, and Kurt and I pressed her enough. We'll sort this all out in the morning, and tell the Professor when he gets back. He'll know what to do."

Scott could feel the telepath gently nudging his mind. His feelings of anger dissolved, and he then looked into Jean's eyes. _There's no use in snapping at each other any longer_. "Okay…tomorrow then." 

So with that, the three young X-Men went to bed with their heads hanging low, none of them knowing that soon they'd have a very abrupt, very _harsh_ awakening. 

*** * ***

"So, Raven…did your stint as Kitty Pryde provide any information concerning that _other_ matter?"

Destiny sat in Mystique's room upon her silken bedspread, studying her as she changed battle garb. The shape-shifter had slipped out of her usual white gown for a simple getup consisting of tight black vinyl.

Mystique wound a leather strap around an arm, anger boiling inside her shapely indigo form. "Yes. It would seem that Rogue's feelings for Scott Summers are being _reciprocated_. I'll kill him before he can turn her against us." 

"Do you really think that will change anything? That she'll run into your arms with him gone?"

Mystique's brow furrowed at the reproachful questions. "What are you getting at?"

Standing up from the edge of the bed, Destiny sighed. "I know you care about her; I'm not disputing that. But consider her feelings for a moment, will you? Rogue has so very little as it is…"

Mystique stepped forward, putting her face dangerously close to the other woman's. "This is for her own good."

For a moment, Destiny was quiet. Then, she tried a different angle. "You don't want to lose her again, do you, Raven? I know how hard it was for you to leave her in my care all those years ago…to lose _another_ child…"

"Be silent!"

"What will you do to _him_, Raven? What will happen should you come face to face with _him_ tonight?"

"I will do what I have to do," huffed the shape-shifter angrily. If anyone else had dared speak to her in such a manner, they wouldn't live long enough to do it again. But Mystique could never bring herself to harm Irene Adler, no matter how strange or disparaging she acted. 

"Now, if you're _done_, there are other things that need attending to."

Boom-Boom opened the bedroom door just a crack, peeking inside as Mystique said that final sentence. She could see the sinister mutant approach a painting that hung on one of the far walls. A massive portrait of a royal family now lost to the ages, it hid a secret. Mystique pressed a button along the side of the golden frame and there was a metallic click, like that of a safe being opened. At her angle Boom-Boom couldn't see what was behind the frame, only that Mystique was looking at it with rapt interest.

"What is that? The back-up plan?" inquired Destiny.

"Yes. While there is no doubt in my mind we'll defeat those lousy X-Men, experience has taught me that one should always be prepared in case something goes awry. If all else fails, we have a powerful bargaining chip…Ah, everything's in order--_what are you doing?!_"

The girl jumped as her leader's eyes shot towards her, but she resisted the strong urge to run. Instead she opened the door all the way, hoping she held her cool.

"Quicksilver sent me up here, boss lady. He wants to know if you're ready yet. Avalanche is getting restless; if we wait any longer he's gonna bust outta here and knock the mansion to the ground all by himself."

Mystique frowned. Quicksilver was becoming too bold for his own good. She reasoned that she was the one who needed to take him down a peg, but if she laid a hand on _that_ particular mutant, Magneto would hang her scaly blue pelt on his wall…           

She stalked past Boom-Boom, not acknowledging the girl's presence. She turned her head to face Destiny one last time. "Take care of that other matter, will you? I know I can trust you with this, Irene."

*** * ***

The Brotherhood of Bayville Boarding House had many rooms, far too many for its few occupants. There were nights when the old house was so empty and still that one could easily imagine a ghost prowling through the halls, and the slightest creak in the floorboards could send shivers down a spine. It could really give a guy the creeps.

Lance Alvers had been assigned one of the previously vacant rooms to dress. He should have found it suspicious that Mystique had a uniform prepped and ready for him, but his mind was on other things. Like his old X-Man uniform, the new costume was form-fitting and covered his body from the neck down. However, his new uniform was outfitted with steel-gray plates of armor along his arms, chest, and knee-high boots. It might not have won any fashion awards, but it was certainly more practical and impressive that the flimsy spandex he wore before. For the first time he really felt he was leaving Lance Alvers behind. He was _Avalanche_. The transformation was complete. 

He suddenly had company; Toad and Blob entered the room somewhat hesitantly, looking at him as if he were a stranger. An awkward moment or two passed before Avalanche had enough of the spotlight.

"_What_?" 

Toad blanched. "We were just wonderin' 'bout y'all. You really gonna fight the X-Men?"

"Of course I am," came the annoyed reply. 

"But weren't they, you know, your friends?"

"Do you have a point, slime-breath, or are you just wasting my time?" snarled the rock-tumbler. "As far as I'm concerned, they're already dead."

_Hoo-whee, Mastermind really did a number on his head_, thought Toad, shocked by the intensity in Avalanche's blazing eyes. Once, in what felt like a lifetime ago, Lance had defended him from one of Duncan's rages, at the cost of getting covered in spaghetti and Jell-O. It was an act Toad could not imagine _this_ Lance Alvers doing. There was no warmth or compassion in his voice or mannerisms…he was now as cold as stone.

"And what about that girl, Kitty? What're you gonna do if you see her?"

An image of Kitty's smiling face appeared in Avalanche's mind, only to quickly fade away. It put him off-balance for only a second. 

"I'll kill her."

*** * ***

It was Boom-Boom's night for eavesdropping. She stood only a few feet away from Avalanche's room, hands pressed against the faded wallpaper, face troubled. Suddenly a breeze blew through her yellow hair, and she stared at Quicksilver.

"You know, it's not nice to listen in on other people's conversations, Tabby-kins."

Boom-Boom snorted. "I wasn't listening. Just thinking."

"Penny for your thoughts."

"You don't have any pennies."

"Fair enough. But tell me anyway."

The girl gave in, staring down at the singed carpet. "This _isn't_ right."

Now Quicksilver was the one who snorted. "Wow, it must have taken you a full second to figure that one out!"

"Shut up!" exclaimed Boom-Boom. "You _know _what I mean. Brainwashing this guy, getting rid of his girl and fighting the X-Men just to get some knick-knack for Mystique…I don't like it at all."

"This sudden change of heart wouldn't have anything to do with Fuzzy, would it?" The speedster cocked an eyebrow.

"_No_. There's nothing between us." Boom-Boom leaned against the wall, wrapping her arms around herself. "You saw to that yourself."

"Good, because the whole 'switching sides to be with a love interest' thing is _so_ last millennium sweetie, and believe it or not, I wouldn't want to see Mystique turn you into a stain on the wall."

"Thank you. Now I feel all warm and squishy. And _don't _worry about me. I know where I belong."

Quicksilver wore an expression of fake disbelief. "You mean the thought of deserting to the X-Nerds never occurred to you? Be honest."

Boom-Boom scowled.

"I mean it would be stupid of you to think that King Goody Two Shoes, Xavier himself, would accept you. You _are_ wanted by the police."

"Shut up!"

"Tsk, tsk. Attempted murder. A pretty young thing like you locked away for something like that is so terrible. Your own fa--"

"Goddammit, Pietro! If you know about that then you know I didn't have a choice!"

_//Zhere's alvays a choice, Tabitha.//_

She stopped still, color draining from her face. _No, Kurt, sometimes there really isn't._

*** * ***

Rogue sat atop her bed, eyes fixed upon the ceiling. The tight, dark green jumpsuit she wore was uncomfortable, and looking at it only reminded her of what was to come. There was a knock, and her melancholy reverie was interrupted by Destiny. The older woman looked somehow sad, yet walked across the room with a determined stride. 

"The time has come, Rogue."

"…Yes."

Destiny placed a loving hand on the girl's shoulder. She was the closest she had to true family, her daughter in all but blood. To see her in such a state was nearly heartbreaking. But there was no other way.

"I know you don't feel ready for this, honey, but Mystique is adamant. She feels that it is time for you to prove yourself as one of the Brotherhood, and I cannot deny that we'll need your power against the X-Men."

Rogue spun around and slammed her fists against the wall, biting her lower lip to stifle a small sob. "Irene Ah _can't_. He's not mah enemy!"

Destiny stroked Rogue's hair, soothing her. "Easy, easy, honey. I know, I know…but think, Rogue. You saw the wound the X-Men gave Avalanche. Do you believe if they treat their friends in such a manner, they'll welcome their _enemy_? If anything, Cyclops will only try to use you against us."

"No, he wouldn't."

"I understand the confusion in your heart, but please think about this: the Brotherhood is your _family_ now. Do you want to sacrifice that for a simple crush?" She paused a moment. "Do you trust me?"

Rogue let Destiny gather her into a hug. "Of course."

"Then believe me…everything will be all right."

*** * ***

Boom-Boom bit her lower lip, and looked searchingly into Quicksilver's eyes. "There was something you were going to tell me earlier, wasn't there? About Mystique and…Kurt."

"Hmm?" He held his chin in hand and thought a moment. "Nope. Don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't be an ass, Pietro."

He threw up his hands. "Fine! Fine. Take it easy; I'm only messing with you. Still, I'm don't think you're ready to hear this."

Boom-Boom tried to smack him, but his head pulled back a nanosecond before contact. 

"Have it your way." He whistled tunelessly, buffing his nails on the front of his suit. "As field leader of this ragtag bunch of misfits, I have certain…_connections_. Knowledge, if you will. And I happen to know what ties Mystique and Fuzzy together…"

"Ties?"

Pietro put his lips to her ear, barely able to hide his twisted glee. "Mystique is Nightcrawler's _mother_."

The blonde gasped as his words registered with her brain, then scowled. It had to be another of Pietro's lies—how could something like that be true? How could someone as sweet as Kurt be born from that cold-blooded psychobitch?

"I know what you're thinking," continued the speed demon. "But there _is_ a resemblance, you know. And it does explain why she hates you so much—you're not good enough for the likes of her spawn."

"But he's an X-Man--!"

"Yeah, well, Mommy Dearest abandoned her blue little bundle of joy years ago, and Xavier got his claws into him before Magneto could."

Boom-Boom opened her mouth for another exclamation of disbelief, but was interrupted by tremors that violently shook the boarding house. 

Avalanche stormed out of his room, the shrinking figures of Blob and Toad behind him, and marched down the stairs. Mystique and Mastermind were waiting for him. In her hands the shape-shifter held a large metallic box.

The assembled Brotherhood then gathered in the basement, where their battle plans were made. Mystique had in her possession a secret layout of the Xavier Institute that had been taken via satellite, and Avalanche broke it down, identifying the bedrooms of his ex-teammates and secret entrances and short cuts that could be used in the sneak-attack. Stealth would be the key: neutralize the X-Men while they slept, then secure the objective. 

"Excellent," purred Mystique as her recruits repeated their tasks. "Nothing will prevent us from taking the Mindcoil."

"I don't care about the Mindcoil," muttered Avalanche from the sidelines. "I just want to make those lying freaks _pay_."

Mystique's lips curled into a delicious smile. Her young Avalanche was burning from the inside with a powerful flame lit by his fury. Watching his eyes crackle reminded her of his sexual encounter with "Kitty Pryde", and she decided that when all this was through she would have to use his fire to warm her bed. 

Saving those pleasurable thoughts for later, Mystique held up the metal box and opened it. "My dear boy," she said to the rock-tumbler, "Soon we'll _all_ get what we want."

Reaching inside the box, she removed a large, see-through helmet that had more than a passing resemblance to a fruit bowl. She crowed him, securing it to the plates of armor along his back. It fastened, effectively shielding the top of his dark head. 

"A present from Magneto. It will protect you from the prying thoughts of telepaths, no matter how powerful."

"Hey, why don't we _all_ get fancy helmets?" demanded a jealous Blob. 

Mystique silenced him with a withering glare.

"So, are we ready or what?" asked Quicksilver impatiently. 

"Oh yes. We are ready." The shape-shifter then turned to Mastermind and Destiny. Neither were fighters despite their powerful mutant abilities, and were to stay at the boarding house while the others lay siege to Xavier's mansion. She and Mastermind exchanged a nod, but no words. It was Destiny she addressed. 

"You can see into the future, Irene. Tell me, will victory be ours?"

Rogue watched her foster mother intently as she replied, "Yes. I see you holding the Mindcoil in your hands, Xavier's playthings dead at your feet. As you said, we'll all get what we want…and what we deserve."

Mystique's smile exposed her white, sharp teeth. "Then let's be off. We have X-Men to kill."

*** * ***

The sky was pitch black, the moon and stars hidden by oppressive clouds. A frosty wind whistled through the trees, adding to the eerie atmosphere of the scene. The Xavier Institute seemed to be completely asleep at that early morning hour, as the place was devoid of any light or sound. Seven figures approached the iron gates. One stepped forward and pressed his palm against the scanner at the entrance.

"Welcome, Lance Alvers," said the mechanical voice. The gates opened for the visitors. 

Avalanche smirked.

*** * ***

Quicksilver had thought about what that night would be like countless times. He imagined Magneto leading a magnificent charge against the X-Fools, the Brotherhood right behind him, and making an example of those who opposed him. Quicksilver would stand by his father and be rewarded for his efforts and loyalty. He would grin as Magneto unleashed the Mindcoil on humanity. 

He had not imagined sneaking into the Xavier mansion like a common thief, quiet so not as to disturb the residents. What, were they _afraid_ of the X-Men? 

"You want a flashy entrance? Hah! You heard Avalanche—Xavier hid a bunch of lasers and alarms hidden in all those pretty statues out front…if we made a ruckus we'd be in kingdom come by now!" snapped Boom-Boom, her voice a low whisper. 

"Silence!" Mystique hissed. She reached for the knob of the front entrance and turned it, her lips pressed into a concerned frown. Unlocked. No lights went off, nor did any alarms sound when the Brotherhood silently entered.

"Of course," grinned the shape-shifter. "Why lock the door when any invaders would surely be deterred at the gate?"

Toad muttered, "Aww, I'm gettin' antsy, yo. Let's just do this thing."

"Fine." Mystique narrowed her eyes. "You all know the plan. Rogue and Boom-Boom, take the upstairs and neutralize all the X-Men you come across. Toad and Blob, take the lower east and west wings, and make sure there aren't any heroes staying up for a midnight snack. Quicksilver and I will cover Avalanche as he leads us to the objective. Now _go_."

The Brotherhood split up, each team member going his or her separate way. Avalanche seemed to hesitate however, as if he had heard none of his leader's words. Quicksilver zipped up the front stairwell and tapped his foot impatiently as the boy stood still. Mystique spun around and snarled, "Come on!" 

That time, Avalanche listened. Yet as the blue skinned baddie turned her back, her brainwashed charge fixed her with an angry, piercing glare. 

Once upstairs Mystique began to creep down the main hall towards Xavier's study, where she was certain she'd find the entrance to the Mindcoil's hiding place. She was cautious to not make any noise, yet let out a curse when she looked behind her and saw Avalanche had gone off on his own, marching towards the bedrooms.

"Hey man, what are you doing?" demanded the silver speedster, who buzzed around the rock-tumbler's face like a mosquito that needed a good swat. "We need you over here!"

Avalanche stopped cold, and looked his teammate dead in the eye. Quicksilver swallowed. 

"Leave. Me. Alone."

He obeyed, slinking back toward Mystique. The two watched him disappear down a corner.

"Damn him," muttered the woman.

"Look, shouldn't we stop him or something? He could blow this mission!"

"I know where he's going. Let him see what's waiting for him. No matter what he does, the X-Men have already _lost_."

*** * ***

Avalanche had stood in front of the door many times, eagerly awaiting it to open in the morning and be the first person to see that beautiful smile. Now, he felt a very different kind of anticipation. 

He opened it slowly, the old wood softly creaking, and stared at the bed ahead of him. He could feel her lingering presence, like the scent of the flowery perfume she favored hanging in the air. Stepping towards the bed he sneered contemptuously at a stuffed bear that had been thrown on the floor, and then turned his eyes to the form buried under the pink covers. 

"Kitty…I'm home," he whispered.

Avalanche took hold of the blankets and threw them off the bed, expecting to see the frightened face of the girl who had wronged him. Instead, he saw something absolutely galling. 

Pillows had been arranged under the covers to look like someone was sleeping under them. She wasn't there. She wasn't _anywhere_.

"_Kitty!_" 

He screamed her name with all the force his lungs could muster, and the world around him felt his fury, his agony. The floor--the walls--the ceiling--it _all_ started to shake, and the tremors reverberated throughout the mansion, bringing it to life.

*** * ***

Inside Xavier's study, Quicksilver and Mystique stumbled as the mansion was shaken up.

"I knew it!" cried the boy. "Your precious Avalanche just screwed us over, Mystique!"

"Shut up!" she hissed. Leaning against the fireplace for support, she pulled a dusty old book from the mantle piece, triggering a mechanism inside the wall. The fireplace gave a jerk, and then the fixture opened like a vault to a safe, revealing an armored passageway. She grinned and signaled her companion to follow her. "This is it."

They stepped inside.

*** * ***

Rogue and Boom-Boom split up, each taking a different hallway. Rogue silently stalked through the right corridor upstairs, past the bedrooms. She approached Jean Grey's door and removed a glove. If luck was on her side, she'd grab the sleeping girl and absorb her powers without any fuss, leaving one X-Man out of action. Unfortunately Avalanche chose that moment to loudly announce his presence, and the shockwaves eliminated any chance the southern Goth had of taking her prey by surprise.

The bedroom door flung open and Jean burst into the hall only a few feet from Rogue. She gasped and Rogue took advantage of the opening, delivering a kick to Jean's side. She fell to the ground and Rogue was on top of her, reaching for her bare cheek. Jean growled and unleashed a telepathic attack just as her fingertips brushed her skin. Both struggled for several agonizing moments as the redhead fought back, using her powers to hurl a flower vase at her attacker. Despite the pain of that injury and the mental assault, Rogue tenaciously held onto Jean until at last her consciousness faded. 

Rogue stood, and breathed a sigh of relief. Feeling empowered by the psychic might rushing through her, she did not balk when Evan Daniels raced down the hall. He was still half-asleep and zipping up his uniform, the ever-present skateboard under one arm. He was hers. 

He saw Jean's unconscious body at Rogue's feet and shouted her name. "Oh, you're gonna _pay_, girlie!" Extending his arms, Spyke unsheathed several bony projectiles at fired them at the invading mutant. With a cunning smile, Rogue stopped them in midair. 

"Oh sh--!"

Spyke's feet left the ground, and he was slammed against the wall, suffering a nasty bump on the head that knocked him out. Rogue then used his levitating spikes to pin him to the wall by his clothing, ensuring he wouldn't pose a problem should he wake up.

The girl then mentally contacted her teammates.

**This is Rogue. Two X-Men down.**

*** * ***

Like the others, Kurt Wagner was jolted awake by the tremors. He bolted upright, his shock and confusion soon replaced with dread. "Avalanche," he whispered. He leaped out of bed and threw off his pajamas, hastily slipping into his red and black X-Man uniform. In the melee caused by the rock-tumbler's entrance, he never heard the tiny cherry bomb explode in the lock to his door, blasting it open. In a flash of blonde hair and black leather Boom-Boom was behind him and took the elf in a fierce chokehold. 

"Don't move," she warned.

"You!" he rasped. "Vhat are you doing?"

"Making a choice."

Nightcrawler teleported out of her grasp and took a fighting stance as he reappeared in a smoky cloud of brimstone. Boom-Boom threw up her hands, as if in surrender. If she had a white flag, she would have waved it.

"Easy! I'm going to fight you."

"Yeah right. Bombing my room and attacking me is some sort of courtship ritual?"

Another quake was felt throughout the mansion, and bits of plaster fell from the ceiling around Nightcrawler's bed. "Zat's Avalanche, isn't it? Vhat have you done?"

"Nothing, Blue!" she insisted. "This is all Mystique's doing!"

"Vas? Avalanche is working vith Mystique?"

"No! Er, yes. I think. God, this is so hard to explain…"

Nightcrawler grabbed her arm, pulling her towards him. "Try."

"Okay—I know about what you think happened between Alvers and that Kitty girl, but it's not what you think. He didn't rape _anybody_. Mystique switched places with her at that field trip in the caves and seduced him. The bitch snuck away, morphed to look like someone beat the crap out of her, and lied about what happened. After Jean gave Alvers that telekinetic beat down Quicksilver picked him up and _then_ some weirdo friend of Mystique did some freaky brainwash thing on him. Now Alvers wants to kill you all!"

"Mein Gott…" Nightcrawler didn't understand it, but he believed her. "Vhy vould Mystique do somezhing like zis?"

"She wants the Mindcoil."

"Vhat is zat?"

"You don't know?"

Nightcrawler had a sudden headache. Before he could reply to that last comment a thought hit him. "Kitty! Vhat happened to her?!"

"I…don't know. Mystique said--"

"Did she kill her?!"

"_I don't know_! All Mystique said was that she was 'taken care of.' She could have done _anything_ to her."

"If Lance really has been brainwashed against us, she's ze only one vho has a chance of reaching him. Ve have to find her!"

Boom-Boom scoffed. "What are you saying? She could still be laying in the caves, for all we know---" Suddenly her eyes lit up. She blinked, realization dawning upon her. She whispered, "I know where she is."

"Vhere?!"

Boom-Boom told him. Nightcrawler wrapped his arms around her and the two were gone in a flash, the trail of smoke the only indication that they had ever been there to begin with. 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

To Be Continued…

* * * * * * * * * * * *

**Next Chapter:** Avalanche continues his assault on the X-Men, facing Cyclops and unleashing his true might. Nightcrawler and Boom-Boom look for the one person who can save the rock-tumbler, but what has Mystique done with her? As if that weren't enough, Magneto steps out of the shadows, and the bindings on the Mindcoil are removed…

Thanks for all the great reviews, everyone! ~Sandoz


	14. Expressway To Your Skull

**Chapter 14: Expressway To Your Skull**

**"**_Kitty_!"

Avalanche's agonized cry echoed through the Institute's hallways, drowning out the sound of his own tremors. He stormed out of her bedroom sending shockwave after shockwave through the place he once considered his home. The walls cracked, the ceiling crumbled, and there was a loud rumble as the floor was ruptured, the boards of wood and leaden pipes ravaged as if struck by mines.

He felt a powerful shift in the air current, and was unsurprised to see Storm fly towards him in all her regal glory. The elder mutant took a glance at the invader, and soon realized whom she was staring at. 

"Lance?! I demand to know what this is about!"

"Yeah, well I demand that you shut your yap!" Toad burst out of one room, attacking Storm with a huge wad of his sticky green spit. The weather witch threw out her hand, shielding herself with a gust of wind that blew back the slime. Momentarily distracted, she heard the sound of heavy footsteps too late, and was smacked across the head by Blob, who had turned around that corner just in time to help his teammates. Storm slammed against the floor, and before she could blink Toad was standing over her, tossing a small capsule on the floor. He hurriedly hopped away as the capsule erupted in a cloud of sleeping gas, plunging the down mutant into a deep slumber. 

"All right! We got one!" Toad high-fived his corpulent friend. Avalanche snorted, looking down at Storm's fallen form. It didn't matter to him if the weather witch was out of action. _She _was still out there, somewhere.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. Blob was grinning at him. "That was fun, huh? You know, uh," he stammered, "It's cool that you're one of us now. I kinda missed you…buddy."

For some reason, the rock-tumbler couldn't find it in him to push the hand away. However, he wouldn't allow himself to smile. "Whatever."

He walked away itching for a fight that would satisfy him.

*** * ***

The secret passageway led Mystique and Quicksilver down into the labyrinthine depths below the Xavier Institute, where the Mindcoil awaited them. The boy tried not to squirm; he didn't want Mystique to see that tight, narrow spaces made him uncomfortable and perceive it as weakness. No one in their right mind would ever let the metamorph know what made them vulnerable—it was like wearing a target on their back.

He could feel the distant echo of Avalanche's earthquakes as they shook the mansion to its very core. "At least _he's_ having fun…"

Mystique ignored his mutterings, her mind focused on the mission's goal. After what felt like many more minutes the pair reached the end of the corridor, and were faced by a large, heavily armored door. She caught sight of the scanner above the lock, and with a snarl pounded her fist against the metal door.

"What's the problem?!" demanded her impatient companion. "Can't you just morph into a X-Geek and open it up?!"

Mystique turned on him. Grabbing the nape of his neck she slammed him against the wall, enraged. "_No!_ I told you imbeciles earlier; Xavier's technology is far too advanced for my shape changing! Now I suggest you _find Lance Alvers_!"

*** * ***

Two mutants appeared inside the Brotherhood of Bayville Boarding House in a sulfuric flash. Nightcrawler looked around his crumbling surroundings and asked incredulously, "You _live_ here?"

Boom-Boom grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the living room. "Sorry, it's our maid's day off. Come on!"

They ran up the stairs and down a hall, Nightcrawler following Boom-Boom's lead. Finally she stopped in front of a door and blew it open. Rushing inside, the elf gasped. The million-dollar suite was a stark contrast to the rest of the somewhat decrepit boarding house, and he correctly guessed it was where Mystique resided. His eyes darted around the room, but there was no sign of Kitty.

"Tabitha, are you _sure_ zis is ze right place?"

He had no immediate reply. Boom-Boom approached a picture hanging on a wall, a huge oil painting that illustrated a family of elegant royals. She stood on her tiptoes and ran her hands along the frame from top to bottom, in search of something. _Please let me be right_, she thought, closing her eyes and praying. Then she found it. She pressed the small button on the edge of the frame, triggering a secret mechanism. The blonde gave a jump as the painting swung off the wall, revealing a secret corridor.

"Vhat in ze vorld?" wondered Nightcrawler. He let out a small sound when he saw what was inside it.

It was a metal cylinder, gigantic in size, filled with an iridescent green liquid. Floating inside it was none other than an unconscious Kitty Pryde.

"Kitty!" 

"Is she dead?" murmured Boom-Boom.

Nightcrawler stared. "I don't zhink so…" He studied the control panel at the bottom of the cylinder, trying to figure out what to do. Some of the words on the screen got his attention. "Life signs stable…cellular paralysis bio fluid…ah, it's some kind of suspended animation!"

"Cellular _whatzit_?" 

"She's alive—ve just have to get her out of zat zhing." He pounded his fingers along the panel's keyboard, delivering a command.

The machine asked, **DRAIN FLUID? Y/N**

**YES**.

With that, the bio fluid was slowly drained from the cylinder, yet Kitty did not regain consciousness. Nightcrawler then typed **OPEN**. The hatch obeyed the order, and the elf caught Kitty's limp body as it fell. Taking her into his arms, he gently lay her on the floor. Boom-Boom _had_ been right, he realized. Looking at her, he saw that her body was free of the savage bruises her imposter had used against Lance. He checked her pulse. It was faint, but it was definitely there. 

"Kitty…Kitty, come _on_." He turned his head to Boom-Boom, who was looming over his shoulder. His voice was pained. "Gott, vhat vas Mystique going to _do_ vith her?"

"I think she called her a _bargaining chip_. My guess is she planned on exchanging the chick for the Mindcoil in case something went wrong with the plan."

"You're really going to have to tell me vhat zat is, you know."

Not long after that exchange the body he held quivered. The paralyzing liquid was wearing off, and Kitty Pryde was waking up. 

*** * ***

It was perhaps pure luck that Cyclops was the last X-Man standing. Like all the others he had awoken to the sound of Avalanche's rage, but somehow he had missed encountering the Brotherhood as he prowled throughout dark mansion. He had snuck into Kurt's room to see if he was all right, only to find an empty bed and a door that had to have been blown open by the aptly named Boom-Boom. Hoping for the best he went off in search of Jean, only to find her prone body lying on the floor, Spyke's not far away. 

He knew who was responsible. _Rogue_. Reluctantly he left Jean's side to find the attackers, hoping against hope that if he found Rogue, he would not be forced to fight her; he truly didn't know what he'd do if he was, and the uncertainty scared him.

The first member of the Brotherhood of Mutants he came across was _not_ the southern beauty; rather, a tall, shadowy figure he did not immediately recognize. He stood in the gleam of the front hallway window, the moonlight illuminating his features. It was his voice that raised his defenses.

"Just the mutant I was looking for."

_Lance! _A dozen thoughts suddenly took over his brain, one voice screaming above all the others. _He betrayed us_!

His hand flew to his visor, just as Avalanche raised his and sent a mighty shockwave through the floorboards, robbing Cyclops of his balance. He took his eyes off his opponent for a second and Avalanche rushed him, punching him squarely in the jaw and knocking him against the wall.

"Oh come on, Shades, fight your battles with your fists! I've been waiting for this!"

_Jean was right_, thought the boy in amazement. _Jean was right_! "I didn't want to believe it," he muttered, wiping the blood from his chin, "But you betrayed us!"

"Fuck you!" screamed the rock-tumbler, throwing a fist Cyclops narrowly dodged. "If _anyone_ was betrayed, it was _me_!"

"Tell that to _Kitty_, you scumbag!"

Avalanche hit the wall hard as an optic blast struck his bad shoulder. He knocked over a table as he crumpled to the floor, gasping for breath. Cyclops' breathing was heavy as well, and he stood over the down Brotherhood boy. He clenched his fists and opened his mouth to speak, but his words were cut off as he let out a sharp, strained exclamation of pain. 

Avalanche jerked his knee back from the sensitive area below the X-Man's waist and delivered a strong punch to his gut. Back on his feet, the rock-tumbler twisted 

Cyclops' arms behind his back and pushed him forward, leaning him over the balcony. Pressing his face against the wooden railing Avalanche hissed, "Did _you_ pressure her into it, or was it _her_ idea to begin with?!"

"What—are you talking about?" strained Cyclops.

"_Kitty_! Did you force her, or was it all a big joke of yours?!"

Furious, Cyclops shook his arms free and knocked him back. "The only one who forced her to do anything was you!" He fired a high-powered blast at Avalanche's chest, sending him to the floor once again. That time, he didn't get up so easily. "You're the one who _raped_ her, remember?!"

Avalanche's fingers dug into the carpet as he struggled to steady himself. His body told him to stay down, but he refused. He _had_ to keep going. He _had_ to keep fighting. His anger was his strength, and the X-Man's words only fueled that strength—that was the terrible extent of Mastermind's brainwashing. He would not stop. The hallway was shaking; in fact, it felt as if the whole place was falling apart. "You…fucking…_liar_!"

Cyclops prepared himself to release a blast that would silence him when there was a sharp blow to his head. He fell to his knees, and glancing up, looked into Rogue's cold eyes.

"You!" snarled Avalanche as he stood. "Back off! He's mine!"

"Cool your jets, Rocky. Mystique needs you. _Ah'll_ take care o' this here Boy Scout."

Glaring, Avalanche stalked past Rogue and sneered at Cyclops. "Leave some of him for me," he warned.

Rogue grinned. "Ah will. _You_ just get what we came for."

As Avalanche disappeared in the direction of Xavier's study, the girl sharply kicked Cyclops in the stomach. He rolled onto his side, baring his teeth. "You're not Rogue," he grimaced.

She put her hands on her hips. "Oh really?"

"_At the very least_, Rogue would have just sapped me of my powers…credit me with that much intelligence, Mystique."

The smile on the girl's face vanished as she assumed her true shape. "You could not even smell the _obvious_ trap you little X-Children fell into and you expect me to marvel at your brain power?"  
  


Cyclops cut off her gloating by firing another crimson blast. She used her lightening-quick reflexes to duck, and then gave a spinning kick to his chest. "I've waited far too long to attain the power of the Mindcoil," Mystique rasped, the utmost hatred in her white eyes, "But when it comes to finishing _you_, I find I can wait just that much longer!"

*** * ***

_"No offense, babycakes, but you ain't gettin' away."_

_She sneered at Todd's words and phased out of his slimy tongue's grasp. Rising to her feet, she was about to make a getaway when one of her attackers tossed an exploding capsule at her feet, releasing a powerful cloud of knockout gas. Kitty was immediately overwhelmed and coughed profusely. Before she could think to phase through the ground and escape, she saw something that made her blood run cold. Trey Anderson had a wicked grin on his face—wait, his face changed—into—into _Mystique_! And then Mystique morphed into _her_!_

_She stared frightfully into her doppelganger's eyes. _

_"Sweet dreams, darling."_

_Kitty stumbled, falling onto the cold, rocky ground. Her strength disappearing, she held onto consciousness long enough to see Pietro zip over to his leader's side._

_"You got her?" he asked._

_"What does it look like? Now run her back to the base and lock her up…"_

_She felt the speed demon hoist her over her shoulder, and as the wind rushed over her she slipped into the black oblivion of sleep…_

_Lance!_

"L…_Lance_!"

Kitty's eyes opened, and she shivered. Her whole body tingled as if all her limbs had fallen asleep. Her vision was fuzzy, but she could see a furry, concerned face in front of hers.

"It's me, Kitty!"

"K-K-Kurt?"

He nodded. "It's okay. Ze cellular fluid hasn't completely vorn off yet--"

"What cellular fl-fluid…?" She looked around herself, utterly surprised. She was longer in the caves, but in a tremendously swank bedroom. And over her friend's shoulder there stood Boom-Boom, wearing a tight black getup that would have made Britney Spears blush. 

"What's _she_ d-doing here?"

Nightcrawler grinned. "It's all right! Tabitha's a friend…er, I zhink."

"Hmmph." Boom-Boom pouted. 

Kitty could feel control of her muscles gradually return. She leaned against her fuzzy friend and tried to stand. Her legs wobbled a bit. "Kurt, what's happening? I…I was at the field trip, and the Brotherhood ambushed me…Mystique, like, morphed into me…"

"Yes, she did. She fooled us all." He then did his best to provide a brief summary of what had happened since the switch, and Boom-Boom filled in the gaps. To say that 

Kitty was shocked and horrified would be an understatement. 

"Oh god…" She uttered Lance's name in fright. "I-I have to do something—make him stop…!"

"I don't think it would be wise to show your face around that guy," interjected the erstwhile Brotherhood member. "He wants you _dead_."

"I don't care! I know I can reach him, _somehow_!" Kitty insisted. "You'll help me, won't you, Kurt?"

He nodded. "Ja. Now let's get _back _zhere before he levels ze mansion!" 

*** * ***

"I'm amazed you haven't given up yet, boy!" cried Mystique as she leapt into the air, dodging an optic beam aimed for her chest. She landed on all fours like a scaly blue feline and thrust out her foot, cutting him down. "Don't you know when you've lost?!"

Cyclops repressed the urge to make a witty retort as he jumped back on his feet and struck her across the face with his fists. Unfortunately the blow wasn't as hard as he wanted it to be; he was still physically spent from his bout with Avalanche, and it took a great deal of strength to keep going. Mystique could _taste_ his growing desperation.

She glanced around, taking in the twisted floorboards and cracked walls. The mansion was crumbling under duress. "I must say I _love_ what Avalanche has done with the place."

Cyclops took advantage of the momentary reprieve to catch his breath. "He was working with you all along, wasn't he!?"

"Oh no, dear boy," she purred, "Avalanche had _no intention_ of betraying his friends…it was a little kitty cat who drove him into my arms." With a dark laugh she morphed into Kitty, bruised and bloody. "He _raped_ me, after all," she said in the young girl's voice, mocking him.

Cyclops was horrorstruck as the truth hit him. That blow would prove to be slightly less powerful than the one his opponent gave him immediately thereafter. He collapsed onto his stomach and the morphing menace took him by the throat. She pushed him towards the balcony, the weak wood cracking underneath his feet. He knew Mystique's intentions; stealing a glance below he reasoned that falling down a full flight onto the hard floor beneath the stairs would not kill him, though perhaps it would break his neck, if not his head. Neither prospect was appealing. He tried to lift his arms and fight off Mystique, but his limbs failed him.

Mystique was relishing her moment of glory. "Do you know what your tragedy is, Cyclops? That for all your hard work, for all your _good intentions_, you never knew what Professor X was hiding from you—and you _never will_. You are nothing but a puppet, and I am a sharp blade cutting your strings--" The floor beneath the boy's feet gave way, the brittle splinters falling to the earth below, and he knew he would soon follow them. The only thing preventing his plummet were two hands wrapped around his neck. "—Just so I can—watch—you—fall!"

He glanced over her shoulder, his bloodied lips curling into a smirk. "R-Really? I think your blade's a little _rusty_, myself…"

She laughed, tossing her ruby red hair about her face. "_Spare me _your _jibes_. I'm not some poorly drawn villain from one of your _comic books_. Do you really think I'd tell you all this if there was the slightest chance you could stop—_aaauuughh_!"

Rogue bit back a cry as her hand latched onto the back of Mystique's neck. The shape-shifter howled in pain and released her hold on Scott Summers; Rogue's free hand shot out and grabbed his arm, jerking him forward and back on solid ground. She momentarily let go of Mystique, and the weakened mutant turned her head and looked at Rogue with what might have been anger, hurt, or both. Her feet then fell out from under her, and she slipped over the edge of the balcony.

"No!" With a gasp Rogue dove forward to grab her hand, but the floor beneath her suddenly gave way.

"Rogue!" shouted Cyclops, who returned the earlier gesture and grabbed onto her, pulling her small body to safety. There was nothing to save Mystique as she fell, landing with a harsh _thud_. Rogue cringed and buried her face in her hands. Peering over the edge, Cyclops saw the blue, leather-clad form lying in a twisted mess. She was out, all right. He then turned his attention to the one who needed him. There were no words, except, "Rogue…are you all right?"

She wasn't all right, of course. She trembled as she uncontrollably morphed into Mystique, Kitty, and Principal Darkholme before returning to her rightful form. Her brush with Mystique filled her with terrible memories—_running through snow with wolves at her heels, a precious bundle in her arms—watching Lance and Kitty talk with Professor X from atop a nearby hill in Northbrook--morphing into Storm and Wolverine in order to secure Rogue for herself—taking advantage of Lance's needs and weaknesses in Kitty Pryde's form—and finally, laughing as she threatened Scott's life_—Rogue screamed as she fought them all back. She then felt Cyclops wrap his arms around her and hold her tightly. 

"Oh mah god…Scott…Ah'm so sorry…"

"Shh, it's all right. You saved me just in time, Rogue. Thank you."

His arms felt so safe and warm; the girl thought she could lose herself completely in him. But, as much as she wanted to, there was still a war going on around them, and there wasn't much time.

"We've got to stop Avalanche," she said after a beat.

"_I'll _say. I can't believe Mystique used him—used _all_ of us—so easily…"

"She sent him after this thing called the _Mindcoil_. If he unleashes it all of hu—_hcccc_-!!" Rogue's was caught mid-sentence by sharp sting in the back of her neck. Her eyes rolled back and she fell against Cyclops' chest, out cold. 

"Rogue?! What's wrong?!" He had his answer in a second, as a small needle pierced his neck, the fluid inside it spreading through him and putting him to sleep. He fell to the floor, never knowing what hit him.

*** * ***

"I told ya this place would have great food!"

"Yeah, but should we really be eatin' at a time like this? Mystique'll throw a—yo, is that pastrami?" 

Toad and Blob emerged from the kitchen taking bites from what had to be the largest subway in Westchester County. Having proudly vanquished Storm, the two young warriors had snuck off for a midnight meal. They had earned it, they thought. Beating X-Geeks was tough work. 

"You know, these snobs sure know how to eat," Blob laughed, half-chewed bits of meat and bread flying from his lips. Suddenly he stopped short, and the sandwich fell from his fingers. Toad, who wasn't paying the least bit of attention, slammed into his backside. 

"What's the problem, man?" he squawked. 

"Don't you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

The next sound Toad made was a high-pitched shriek of fright as an enormous metal sphere crashed through the front of the mansion, only a precious few feet from the teens. It hovered for a bit before landing.

"Wh-what the heck is that, yo?! Some kinda trippy spaceship?!"

Toad had his answer in a moment as there was a low _hsssss_ signaling the sphere's opening. Someone emerged, his eyes gleaming in the harsh darkness. Blob and Toad couldn't distinguish any of the newcomer's features, save that he was tall, had a strong, impressive build, and was levitating off the ground. His head slowly turned to face them.

"What _are_ you gawking at?" 

Toad blanched at the icy, familiar presence. He felt the urge to empty his stomach of its recent meal. Blob stammered as he stared at the tall, shrouded figure before him. 

"N-Nothing, sir," he managed to say.

"Good. Come along."

Blob and Toad felt their bodies being pulled towards the dark stranger, and he led them up the ravaged staircase. The teens both felt a cold shiver when they saw Mystique's broken body lying only a few feet away, and their unease only increased when they reached the unconscious Rogue and Cyclops at the top of the steps. The stranger seemed to pull the pipes from the damaged floor with a mere thought, and the metal twisted around the young pair as easily as rope. Elsewhere in the mansion, the defeated X-Men were also collected in such a manner, and soon Cyclops, Rogue, Jean, Spyke, and Storm were following the stranger as if being pulled by an invisible string. 

"Time to reclaim what is mine."

*** * ***

As soon as Avalanche entered Xavier's study a twister generated by the power of an impatient young mutant enveloped him. Shouting a string of curses, his feet were lifted off the ground and Quicksilver whisked him down into the bowels of the Institute. Now standing in front of the armored door that had impeded Mystique, Avalanche fought against his motion sickness. Having suppressed the bile that threatened to rise up, he fixed his silver-haired compatriot with a furious glare. "Don't—_ever_…"

Quicksilver waved him off. "You were taking too long, _slowpoke_. Now say the magic word, or whatever you have to do. Open, _says me_." He pointed at the door, looking exasperated.

With a grumble Avalanche turned. Did Maximoff expect him to jump at his call? If he did, he definitely had another thing coming. He had gone through too much to suddenly play the part of the errand boy, and he was in no mood for Quicksilver's petulant buzzing. 

_//Lance, you have nothing to prove to the likes of _Pietro Maximoff_. Remember that.//_

The memory stung. _Dammit! Why do I have to think of her at a time like this? _It was no use resisting; it all came back in full force. He remembered a cold cave, and seeing his reflection in her wide blue eyes. The way she looked at him…it was like she could see right through him and peer into his very soul. If she were to look at him now, what would she see?

Quicksilver's indignant grumbles reminded him of where he was. Avalanche squeezed his eyes shut, and willed Kitty's face back into the darkness. When he opened them, he was full of resolve. Standing tall he placed his hand against the black box. The scanner traced his palm, and a computerized voice shook him by saying, "**Invalid**." 

He had been refused.

The rock-tumbler spun around and angrily spat, "Well _now_ what?! The damn door won't open for anybody but Xavier!"

"So make another one!"

"That will be unnecessary."

Before the strange new voice could register, the door was pummeled by an unseen power that ripped it from its hinges and left it a twisted, misshapen ball on the armored floor. The boys' stunned eyes went from it to the bizarre procession that was approaching.

Magneto levitated in the air, his dark purple cape billowing behind him, giving the seasoned mutant a regal yet powerful edge. His helmet hid most of his face, but his eyes gleamed like beacons in the dimly lit space. Following him like a pair of sheep were Toad and Blob, and floating behind them were the X-Men plus the traitorous Rogue, all unconscious and wrapped in metallic coils. 

"Our pathway is now clear," said Magneto as he stared into the open chamber. "Good work."

Quicksilver was radiant. "Thank you, Father."

"I was not addressing you, Quicksilver," was the cold response. His head turned to the stunned Avalanche. "It was you who enabled us to come this far, after all."

Avalanche murmured something under his breath that might have been thanks. He felt no gratitude, got no enjoyment from the high words. Instead he felt as if he had swallowed something that disagreed with him. His vision was suddenly foggy, like staring through clouded glass. What was he doing? Who were these people? What was going on? His head…_it_…

"Are you all right?" Magneto asked, looking the rock-tumbler over as if he was an amoeba under a microscope. 

"I—I'm fine." He straightened, putting his hand to his temple. The strange sensation was gone as quickly as it came; his thoughts were clear once more.

"Then let us go," beckoned the Master of Magnetism, extending his arms and ushering his followers forward toward the Mindcoil. "A new dawn is approaching."

*** * ***

There was a distinctive _bamf_ of imploding air as Nightcrawler, Boom-Boom, and Kitty appeared atop the mansion's sweeping staircase. 

"Oh my god…" Kitty covered her mouth as she looked all around her. Her home had become a battlefield, ravaged by the brutal fighting it had seen only minutes earlier. The ceiling seemed to be on the verge of caving in on the teens, and jagged boards of wood and lead pipes jutted out of the gutted floor, ready to impale any careless passerby. However, it wasn't decimated dwelling that filled her with a terrible sorrow; it was the knowledge that _Lance_ was the one responsible for it.

Boom-Boom put her hands on her hips. "Looks like we missed one helluva a party." 

"Zhis isn't funny, Tabitha," chastised Nightcrawler.

"Who said it was funny?" she retorted, thinking of Rogue. "Where _is_ everybody?"

Kitty wrapped her arms around herself, shivering. "It looks like the fighting's over. But who _won_?"

"Both very good questions," mused Nightcrawler. His sharp, yellow orbs then caught sight of something below them. At the bottom of the balcony there lay…

"_Mystique_!" cried Boom-Boom. She then laughed, "I'll be damned."

She was promptly ignored. Kitty took a few timid steps down the nearest hall, running her fingers along the side of the wall, her fingers white from the cracked plaster. "Do you guys hear that?" she blurted out.

"Vas?"

"I think I hear voices coming—coming from the Professor's study. Let's go!" Kitty took her friend by the arm and started to run.

"Wait!" Nightcrawler protested, holding her back. "Vhat are ve going to do? Ve have no idea vhat's happened—ve can just burst in zhere vithout a plan!"

"Do _you_ have a plan?"

"Vell, _no_--"

Kitty phased out of his grip. "Neither do I, but we have to do _something_!"

Nightcrawler groaned as she raced down the hall. He slapped his forehead. "Aren't _I_ supposed to be ze impetuous one?" he asked the heavens.

Meanwhile, Boom-Boom was still enthralled by the unconscious shape-shifter. She glanced from her right to her left before cracking a devilish smirk. 

"Tabitha!"

She rolled her eyes. "Tch. Coming!" She formed a small energy bomb and tossed it over the railing. She raised her fingers to her temple in a salute as the bomb burst over Mystique. "Good night, sweet bitch, and may a flight of angels sing thee--"

"_Tabitha_!"

Grumbling, she halted her farewell and stormed off. "All right, all right! Jeez!"

*** * ***

Jean Grey was the first to awake. Her senses were off and she still felt weak from Rogue's power drain, but she was thankful not to be in a coma. Her relief vanished when she realized something was terribly wrong. She quickly gave mental wake up calls to her teammates; Cyclops, Spyke, Storm, and even Rogue suddenly returned to the waking world and joined in Jean's shock.

They were being held against the wall by an invisible force, their feet hanging off the ground and tight metal coils wrapped around their struggling bodies. They were in one of the many secret chambers below the Institute, surrounded by their grinning enemies. At the far end of the chamber stood a tall, imposing figure the young eyes had never seen before. His back was turned, and he seemed to be preoccupied with something floating in a tank amid all the machines and gizmos. 

"Who is that?" whispered Cyclops.

Storm gave up struggling against her bindings and replied, "Erik Lensherr…also known as Magneto. He's a powerful Anti-Human terrorist, and it looks like the Professor was right in his suspicions that he was the force behind the Brotherhood."

"Thank you for the introduction, Storm, but in these turbulent times, '_terrorist_' carries such a _negative_ connotation. What I am is a _freedom fighter_ out to eliminate human tyrany." Magneto's voice was like ice, chilling the captive X-Men. He still kept his back to them, busying himself with whatever was in the tank. "And _don't_ think of using your powers to break free of your bindings, Ms. Grey--"—His voice was a knife now, sharp and deadly—"I don't think you could free yourself before I squeeze this boy to death."

Cyclops cried out as the coils tightened around his flesh; the pain was like fire, and he could barely _breath_…

"Scott!" screamed Jean.

"No!" Rogue wailed. "Don't kill him, Magneto, _please_!"

"The turncoat asks me for favors?" he asked wryly. He flicked his wrist and the coils loosened around Cyclops. He gasped, beads of sweat dripping down his forehead. 

"Fear not, that was only a demonstration."

"You're a monster, Magneto!" Storm rasped. "If you harm any of these children again, I swear--" Toad spit a wad of green spit in her face to quiet her down, resulting in Spyke throwing several violent curses his way. 

Jean swallowed a lump in her throat. She glanced around the room and caught sight of Avalanche. He was leaning against the wall away from the gloating Brotherhood, rubbing his forehead as if in pain. Her eyes narrowed.

**So _he_ is the one responsible for this,** she said telepathically to Cyclops. **He betrayed us…led the Brotherhood into our home while we slept…!**

_You're wrong, Jean. This was all Mystique's doing. Somehow she—she switched places with Kitty and accused Lance of raping her…when you attacked him he fell right into her hands. I don't know why, but I think she did something _else_ to him. He's not the Lance we know anymore. _

Jean gasped as she read his mind. **But if that's true…where's Kitty? Where's _Kurt_?**

_I don't know…but I hope wherever they are they're okay…because it looks like they're the last hope we have_.

*** * ***

Kitty entered Xavier's study with Nightcrawler behind her, a shiver running down her spine. Behind the old fireplace they saw a gaping tunnel, much like a secret passage, that would lead them down below the mansion's foundations. Approaching it, they could hear faint, distant echoes of what had to be voices. 

"Whatever we're looking for, I think we'll find it down there," the girl murmured. 

"I still have a _very_ bad feeling about zhis."

"So do I."

Boom-Boom burst in the room, slamming the door behind her. "Everything all right?" she asked, still feeling pleased with herself. As far as she was concerned, the sight of Mystique's broken, lifeless body had made her whole crummy life worthwhile. 

"Ve're fine," said Nightcrawler sharply, bringing a long finger to his lips, "But be quiet, _please_. Ve can't give ourselves avay." 

She screwed up her face in indignation, but thankfully said nothing. 

The elf sighed and touched her shoulder. "I'm sorry—ve're all on edge."

The three then stared into the depths of the dark passage. 

"After you, Kurt," said Kitty with a weak smile.

"Oh no, I zhink _you_ should go ahead—Avalanche is _your_ boyfriend, after all." 

The bantering pair didn't hear the study door open, or the figure quietly enter. Boom-Boom heard the creak in the floorboards and looked behind her. Her face white as a sheet, she nudged Nightcrawler's back, only to be brushed off.

"Kurt, be a gentleman."

"I _am_—ladies first."

"Um, Blue…you guys…" Boom-Boom swallowed. "_Kurt_!"

"Vas?!" He and Kitty turned and gasped.

"We have company."

*** * ***

"Magneto, what is this all about?! What do you want?!" demanded Cyclops. He had enough of his cryptic villain garbage. Quicksilver crossed his arms over his chest and snickered, waiting for his father's reply.

Magneto turned sharply, fixing the young field leader under his spotlight. "What is it _ever_ about? Power, of course. In particular, a power that rightfully belongs to _me_. The _Mindcoil_."

Jean balked. "_What_?"

"It is a living weapon that was originally designed by your dear Professor and I. He raided one of my strongholds, _stole_ my findings and tried to make the Mindcoil his own."

"I don't believe it!" scoffed Cyclops. "Professor X would _never_ develop a weapon. It would be against everything he stands for!"

The thinnest of smiles formed on Magneto's lips. "You are partly correct. Xavier, in his arrogance, thought he could change the Mindcoil and wean it from its inherently destructive ways. But I made it for one singular purpose—which will now be realized. _The entire destruction of humanity_."

An ungodly silence filled the room as his final sentence hung in the air. The X-Men could not believe it—the destruction of mankind? It was too impossible to fathom. Even the remaining members of the Brotherhood were stunned. They had imagined the Mindcoil to be a cool new toy, not an instrument of genocide. In a far corner Avalanche began to tremble. He remembered Magneto's words. _He_ was the one who had led the Brotherhood into the Institute—_he_ was the one who had enabled them to come so far. "No…" he whispered to himself.

Only Quicksilver's feathers were unruffled. "It's _time_, Father," he said proudly.

"Yes." He turned his eyes to the X-Men for the last time. 

"You sick son of a--" Spyke's words were halted by a metal sheet clamping onto his mouth. The other prisoners found themselves silenced as well as Magneto flexed his mutant muscles.

"I apologize for my rudeness, but as you will hopefully come to realize, it is for the greater good. A species that has already been replaced will be disposed of in a humane manner, which is more than I can say if we were to engage them in one of their petty _wars_. No blood will be shed, and none of our mutant brothers will fall by a human's hand. It will be over soon, I assure you, and they will experience no…_prolonged_ pain."

Leaving the prisoners to think about that, he faced Quicksilver. The boy held up the specially designed helmet directly connected to the Mindcoil. With it on, Magneto could easily control the living weapon and make it do his bidding. 

Magneto touched his arm. "Pietro, you have served me well these long months."

"Thank you, Father." He was beaming. This was all he had ever wanted, to be given recognition from his sire and share in his glory. 

"I believe _you_ should be the one then, to put on this helmet and direct the Mindcoil." 

"Yes…! Yes, sir!" This was _more_ than he could have imagined. Regarding the tank filled with amniotic fluid, he swallowed the last of his fears. The Mindcoil certainly wasn't impressive; he had expected more than an ugly, fleshy blob with wires and tubes sticking out of it. Magneto said it was _alive_? He took a step forward and the wrinkled thing seemed to twitch, as if it was aware of its surroundings. Couldn't be; it didn't have any eyes or ears. Strange.

"It…looks like a _brain_."

"Of course. What greater weapon is there than the _mind_ itself?" The Master of Magnetism finished his tampering with the machines connected to the blob, and flipped the last switch. Swelling with pride, his son raised the helmet and put it on his silver head. His smile immediately vanished.

"Ah--ahh--_auuuuuuuggghh_!" The scream was gut wrenching. Quicksilver's body began to spasm violently, and his eyes bulged as if trying to pop out of their sockets. The captive X-Men watched him thrash about in shocked horror, and Toad and Blob backed away from their teammate, mouths agape. Avalanche's dark eyes were glued to him, and at that moment he felt something that might have been fear.

"No," he whispered again. "What…have I…?"

Magneto's expression barely changed. "I was afraid this would occur. All the better that I was not the one to make direct contact…"

What happened next was enough to startle the mutants even more. Quicksilver's body stopped its convulsing, and he opened his mouth to speak. There was another voice over his; however, a voice that was incredibly familiar. It sounded cold and mechanical, like a computer, though it was most definitely the voice of a man. And it seemed to be speaking directly into their minds.

**_Freedom_!** it said happily. The blob twitched.

"And I am the one who gave it to you," Magneto said, standing tall. The voice could not reach his mind, thanks to his specially crafted helmet, but he could hear its words through his son's voice. "I, Magneto, am the one who released your bindings. Furthermore, it was I who helped create you. I who gave you a purpose."

**A purpose? Yes…yes, I remember.**

Magneto smirked. "Then I command you to do what you were created to do. Exterminate the human filth who plagues homo superior!"

The order was given. The X-Men strained against their coils. Bound and gagged, they were like helpless children unable to stop what was happening right in front of them. Avalanche grew pale. In that terrible moment, however, the Mindcoil seemed to release its hold on Quicksilver. The boy gasped as his mind returned to him. Magneto bent down and placed his hand on his cheek. Their eyes locked, then…

**_No_.**

There was an unspeakable sound as the wires from the Mindcoil's tank disconnected themselves and pierced Magneto; their snakelike forms plunging deeper and deeper into his back. There was a sharp, blue crackle of energy, and an electric pulse was sent through him. Magneto gave a short, pained cry and then slumped forward, quite dead.

The X-Men fell to the ground as the magnetic force that suspended them was suddenly cut. Immediately Jean tried to free them of their metal restraints, but her powers failed her. She felt a foreign presence in her mind, and knew it was keeping her from escaping. Toad and Blob looked at Magneto's corpse, utterly petrified. They tried to run, but found their feet stuck to the ground. Avalanche was stunned into silence. But for some reason he did _not _feel something creeping around his mind; the only words he heard the Mindcoil say had been spoken aloud by Quicksilver.

"Fa-Father! N…no…!" Quicksilver's body then gave another jolt, and when he spoke again the Mindcoil spoke through him. 

**I've spent my entire existence in this dark room, surrounded by these sterile walls. I want to see the world before I destroy it. _Taste_ it.** The blob shuddered. **But this body of mine is no good. So, I think I will use yours.**

_Stop! Wh-What are you going to do to me?! _thought the terrified boy as he stared at the corpse at his feet.

**Take your flesh for my own, of course. I need eyes and ears to see the outside, and legs to take me there. But you are no use to me as you are. I think I'll simply erase your consciousness, and copy my own unto your brain. You will be a marvelous extension of myself. Thank you for your body, Pietro Maximoff.**

"N-_Naaaaaaaoooooohhh_!" There was a scream, one last spasm, and then Quicksilver collapsed, the helmet still atop his head. He did not move again.

**There,** the Mindcoil said, sounding satisfied as it began the process using its psychic might. Its attention then went to the mutants in the room. **Oh yes. What to do with you all. At the moment, I see no reason to keep you alive.**

They all felt it at once. It was like being impaled, a sharp, unrelenting psychic stab to the mind. Toad, Blob, and Spyke let out howls, while the others squeezed their eyes shut and clutched their throbbing heads. Alone in the corner, unobserved, Avalanche felt a cold shiver. Everyone else around him suffered the Mindcoil's blow, but he was unaffected. 

_It…can't feel my mind_, he realized. The Mindcoil had no way to see or hear him; it was aware of its surroundings via telepathy. He touched his helmet.

//_A present from Magneto. It will shield you from the prying thoughts of telepaths, no matter how powerful_.//

Avalanche didn't know what to do. Part of him enjoyed watching the X-Men writhe. They had hurt him in an unimaginable way, and it was only right they suffer in turn. However, the strange sensations in his head made him uncertain of his feelings, and Rogue, Blob and Toad hadn't taken part in his torture. Was this…_right_? His thoughts were torn in two. Lance and Avalanche. What could he do?

Cyclops bit off a scream. The pain in his head was white-hot, and the part of him that was still rational cursed the Mindcoil for not simply _ending _it.

**Please do not misinterpret this as an act of spite or malice, Scott Summers. There is much to do, and I simply cannot be bothered with you. The only one here I had any real contempt for was that ostentatious brute Magneto. He thought he could order me, make me do his own dirty work. He talked to me like I were a _thing_. And I am not a _thing_, Scott Summers…** The Mindcoil lowered its voice, and despite its words it sounded very, very hateful. **I am a sentient being, with my own thoughts and desires. I will fulfill my purpose when I see fit, and _I _will be the one to decide who lives and who is destroyed. And I will be under an obligation to _no one_.**

And then--suddenly--the pain stopped, though not of the Mindcoil's volition. It was like a switch had been flipped, cutting off the psychic monstrosity's power. The members of the X-Men and Brotherhood who had been helpless under the mental assault felt an overwhelming relief. Their attention then went to the newcomers standing in the entrance.

Nightcrawler, Boom-Boom, and Kitty Pryde stood tall and resolute, and with them was Charles Xavier. He narrowed his eyes at the blob within the tank and wore a disapproving frown.

"And that is _precisely_ why we need to have a little talk."

* * * * * * * * * * *

To Be Continued…

* * * * * * * * * * * 

**Author's Notes**: The title of this belated chapter is from a Sonic Youth song, and it's finally up after a bout of writer's block and computer troubles. But with this chapter RYW is now over two hundred pages long. I know I'm surprised. Thanks for reading, everyone! ~Sandoz

**Next Chapter:** Xavier battles the Mindcoil in a psychic duel, but will even _his_ strength be enough to stop the beast? Having heard the startling truth about the Mindcoil's creation and its connection to their professor, the X-Men join forces with the remaining Brotherhood members to fight for survival. Amidst the chaos Avalanche has a long-awaited confrontation with Kitty—but when their own minds have become battlefields, can either of them be saved?


	15. Watch Out For Falling Rocks

**Chapter 15: Watch Out For Falling Rocks**

******_You!_**

**Yes,** said Charles Xavier as he closed his eyelids and brought his hands to his temple, barely registering the contempt in the Mindcoil's voice. He furrowed his brow. **I am the one who is to blame for this, and I intend to correct my mistake.**

Xavier could feel the Mindcoil's psychic presence kick and scream as he used his telepathy to shut off his creation's psi powers. Having only recently been released of its trappings, the Mindcoil had not yet reached its full strength. It was imperative that he contain it—destroy it if necessary—before its ultimate potential was tapped. 

"Nightcrawler…Boom-Boom…Kitty…free the others, _now_!" Xavier said aloud, his voice strained under the exertion. 

Without needing to be told twice, Nightcrawler _bamf_ed over to the captive Storm and Spyke, latched onto the two, and then teleported them out of their metal bindings. 

Boom-Boom bolted over to Rogue and grinned. "Fancy meeting you here."

"You're all right!" said Rogue in relief. "When Ah saw you weren't captured Ah thought you'd been killed!"

"Yeah, well," Boom-Boom shrugged as she put her hands on the pipes wrapped around her friend. "There's still time enough for that to change." The pipes wouldn't budge, despite putting all her might into prying them loose. She grit her teeth. "_Dammit_! I can't--"

 "Let me try!" interrupted Kitty Pryde, who phased her hand through the bars and pulled Rogue to freedom. 

As the two girls rushed to help Cyclops and Jean, Boom-Boom tapped her booted foot huffing, "Well whoop-de-shit."

Crouching in a corner far away from the action, Avalanche narrowed his eyes into two dark slits. The peculiar pain in his head prevented him from moving as the newcomers freed the captive X-Men. He felt confusion. Part of him was glad they had been spared the Mindcoil's wrath, while another wanted to see them die. But those sentiments were inconsequential compared to a burning hatred that was welling up inside him, a rage that threatened to explode when he caught sight of Kitty. He tried to move forward only to fall to his knees. His head was throbbing, his thoughts a disorganized mess. "_Kitty_…!"

Sweat dripped down the Professor's forehead, and his hands began to shake ever so slightly. The Mindcoil still struggled against him. "Everyone…please…get out of here at once!" he ordered. Stronger…it was getting stronger…

"We're not going anywhere without you, Professor!" Cyclops responded, his voice every bit as urgent as his mentor's.

"Blast it…this is no time for arguing." Xavier's teeth clenched. "Do as I say! Now!"

 "You're goin' nowhere!" yelled an angry voice. Blob raised his fists, his gigantic mass rushing towards the weary superheroes. Jean acted quickly and telekinetically stopped him in his tracks. His feet frozen, Blob howled. 

"Stop this!" she cried. "Whatever this Mindcoil thing is, it's _your_ enemy too! Or do you want to share the same fate as Quicksilver?!"

Falling silent, Blob turned his beady eyes to his unconscious teammate. There was no question. But before the ragtag bunch could make any sense of what was happening or flee the Mindcoil's lair the floor beneath them began to rumble. Soon the walls were shaking as well, and all of them lost their balance as their surroundings seemed to come apart at the seams.

At first Cyclops thought Avalanche was responsible for the violent tremors, but then he, and the others, realized the horrible truth. The room wasn't being torn apart by seismic waves; rather, the walls were shaking of their own volition—as if coming to life. The world around them was closing in like a tin can being crushed. The Mindcoil was fighting back.

Cyclops lost the last of his reservations. The instinctive need to protect those he cared for and was entrusted to protect took over his system, and there was no arguing now. "Let's go, people!"

The X-Men fled the chamber and, Storm and Cyclops carrying the Professor after leaving the cumbersome wheelchair behind, bolted back up the narrow tunnel he, Nightcrawler, Boom-Boom, and Kitty had used to reach them. Spyke picked up the limp Quicksilver, tossing off the Mindcoil's helmet. Throwing the light body over one shoulder, he joined his comrades. He didn't even notice Magneto's corpse. Kitty looked back, frantically searching the frightened faces for a certain one. Avalanche… Lance…where was he? She was pushed forward by Rogue and forced to look ahead.

Avalanche was there, though the girl had missed him. He shook off the throbbing pain in his head and tried to move, but the ground was too unstable for him to get very far. He saw Toad bringing up the rear of the group disappearing down the tunnel and snatched his arm.

"Whose side are you on?!" he demanded.

"The side that lives!" 

 Toad hopped into the tunnel, leaving Avalanche as the last one. He threw one final glance at the trembling blob in the tank before deciding that it might be best to swallow his pride and follow the X-Men, if only to live and fight another day. Fate had other plans however, and a large chunk of the ceiling fell right in front of him, nearly missing his head and blocking off his escape. He gasped. Another piece of ceiling was jarred loose, that time striking him. 

Toad heard the crash, and the exclamation of fright. "Aw, looks like Rocky's done for," he muttered with a bit of regret. Those things happened, he thought. It was his fault for falling behind.

It seemed that Kitty was the only one who heard him. "Lance?!" She spun around, pushing Boom-Boom and Rogue aside. "He's still back there?!"

 Toad was taken aback by the pure emotion in her voice, the pain in her eyes. He nodded stupidly. 

Without a thought of what she was doing or the possible consequences, Kitty phased through the frog-faced boy and ran back down the tunnel through the rubble.

 "Vhat's Kitty doing?! She'll be killed!" 

"She can take care of herself, Nightcrawler," said Cyclops in a strained voice as he helped support Professor X, who was deathly quiet. "We have to keep moving."

Professor Xavier focused his mental powers. So much raw power. So much anger. It was all he could do to buy enough time for his pupils to escape the mansion, because as long as they were there, their lives were virtually forfeit. But if the telepathy of the beast was contained they had a chance. Its telekinetic might was something else altogether. Suddenly the tunnel began to rumble and shake; and many of the mutants made startled sounds. Time was of the essence.

Cyclops took a deep breath, the sound of his boots on the hard floor ringing in his ears. He opened his mouth and asked the question inside everyone's mind. "Professor, what is that thing?"

"The Mindcoil? Scott…I helped give it life."

Cyclops' face drained of color. "Then that man—Magneto—was telling the _truth_?"

The mutant against his shoulder nodded once, his head bowed as if in shame.

"He said it was a weapon! Professor X, I don't understand--"

"You don't need to, not now. In time, everything will be explained." And on that final note, he allowed himself to slip into a telepath's trance to devote his entire being to the cause at hand. Cyclops had no time for a response.

Without any warning, the mutants found they no longer had floor to stand on. Somehow the Mindcoil had triggered one of the booby traps in place to deter intruders. The floor gave way, and the frightened X-Men and Brotherhood disappeared down a series of winding tubes that deposited them in an arena-like space. The walls were metallic, armored to encase those inside them.

 "Everyone all right?" asked Cyclops as the group recovered their wits.

        "

No," choked Boom-Boom, whose landing had been ungraceful to say the least. "I think my ankle's banged up." 

Storm quickly attended to the blonde before making sure her own nephew was whole. "Spyke, are you--"

"Fine? Yeah, I guess," Spyke answered with a groan. He looked down at the body he was carrying. "I hate to say it, but I'm kinda worried about Pietro. He's barely breathing!"

"We'll tend to him as soon as we get out of here," promised his Auntie O.

"That's all fine an' dandy, but where exactly _is_ here?" Rogue questioned, picking herself off the ground in spite of her limbs' protests. Her answer was a sharp click, like the sound of weapons systems being engaged.

 Nightcrawler's pointed ears perked up. "Vould anybody be mad if I said I have a very bad feeling about zhis?"

"No. Oh _no_!" yelled Cyclops in terrible realization. Several panels on the walls opened, revealing large laser guns. They opened fire on the mutants.

_The Danger Room_!

*** * ***

Avalanche was coming to terms with the fact he was about to die. Hunched against a cold metal wall, his legs drawn up to his chest, he knew he was trapped. The exit was blocked by a large chunk of the ceiling and there was no way he could move past it or jar it loose. He had tried to move it using his mutant powers, but the tremors only added to his dilemma by aiding the collapse of the chamber. Not quite resigned to his fate, Avalanche was taken by feelings of great bitterness and contempt. A sorry end to a sorry life. Damn it all.

 The Mindcoil floated in its tank, and Avalanche was sure it didn't have a care in the world. After all, it didn't have to worry about being crushed to death. The rubble only bounced off an invisible shield much like the ones the boy had seen Jean Grey use in battle situations. The rock-tumbler was thankful for his helmet; if nothing else, he wouldn't have to go through the psychic attack that had almost killed the X-Men. As if that was any real relief.

He was in pain. Struck by the sharp end of a piece of jagged debris, there was a long slash along his right arm from above his elbow to the back of his hand. Applying pressure to the wound, blood oozed from between his clenched fingers. His erratic actions had also aggravated his upset shoulder. But whenever he made a movement it was his _mental_ agony that forced him back with a moan. Mastermind's brainwashing was the cause of it, though he had no idea. It had an unforeseen affect on the boy's psyche, with the rush of so many contrived feelings and memories almost overloading his mind. The nightmare was dissolving.

"_Lance_!"

His head jerked up at the sound of her voice. _Her_. Standing only a few yards away, pale, lips trembling, Kitty whispered his name again. He looked terrible, more like a wounded animal than the young man she had known and loved so well. Something drove her to move.

"_Don't come near me_!" was the frenzied cry, a warning rather than a plea. Baring his teeth, Avalanche put his hands against the wall, ready to jump to his feet if required to. 

"I _will_." Pursing her lips, she stepped towards him, reaching out with her hand. He pulled back as if she meant to burn him, stumbling. Looking with sadness at the blood dripping down his arm, Kitty bent down and ripped her shirt, creating a makeshift bandage. Despite the hate-filled glare he gave her she tied the long scrap of cloth around the wound, stopping the blood flow. Avalanche tried to pull back at that cursed touch, but the pain was too much.

 "Don't…!" He would not warn her again, so help him.

"Lance, it's _me_. _Kitty_." She put a hand on her heart, entreating him. "I'd _never_ hurt you. You have to know that!"

"What are you playing?!" he rasped. "You've done _plenty_ to hurt me, _you lying bitch_."

Kitty reeled as if his words struck her physically, but still she persisted. "I _know_ what happened to you. It was all a terrible lie—a trick of Mystique's! But she's gone now, and it's over!" She held out her hand for him to take. "Let me help you. _Please_." She could feel tears stinging her eyes but paid them no mind. She was aware of the world coming down around them and the danger they were in. 

Avalanche threw out a fist to hit her, _silence_ her, and his hand passed harmlessly through her intangible self. Kitty cringed. 

"Dammit…" The rock-tumbler swore, despising his weakness, his failures, and the part of him that was glad he missed. _No. I can't. I can't feel this way. Not about her._ He crumpled to the ground; it was too much to take.

 "Everything's going to be okay," said Kitty gently as she reached for his shoulder to turn him intangible as well. She never got the chance. From her lover's lips came a low, guttural cry, an animal's howl. It was like nothing Kitty had ever heard before, and an instant later his hands were wrapped around her throat.

Everything would be okay once she was done away with. The suffering in his head and heart would surely end then, he told himself. It had to. _But why doesn't she just phase out of my grasp? She could if she wanted to…so why…_?

His heart wasn't in it. Kitty knew he could crush her windpipe if he truly wished to; his hands were certainly powerful enough. His eyes were haunted--possessed even--by a madness that threatened to swallow his entire self. And somehow he was fighting it.

"D-Do you _ruh_-really want to hurt me?" Her hands wrapped around his arms, not struggling, but merely extending her mutant gift to encompass him. He would not be killed by falling rubble if she had anything to do about it. "_Do you_? Wh-Whatever this is, whatever Mystique did to you—you're fighting it! Keep f-fighting!"

 There was the slightest change in his facial expression. Was she reaching him? She continued to plead, "Listen to my voice! Let it he-help you! Let me…ughh…_suh_-save you!"

 His grip on her neck loosened, and, still trembling, he swallowed a bitter lump in his throat. For a moment he saw her for who she was—_his_ Kitty, the only person in the world he had ever really loved. _No!_ A voice in his head screamed. _It's a trick, an illusion. _End_ it_!

_What if…she was telling the truth_? Avalanche wondered helplessly. _What if_ that _was the illusion_? His temple pounded.

"I swore once th-that I wouldn't let _anyone_ make you doubt who you are…and all this anger, this hatred…it isn't you. _This isn't who you are, Lance Alvers_!" 

And then he could see. This was real. It was _her_. _Kitty_. Just like that, the image cracked like a shattered mirror; the illusion was broken. Avalanche's eyes grew wide with horror and pain and recognition, and he released her. "No…it _isn't_."

The next sound he made was something between a wail and a scream. _What had he done?_  Kitty opened her arms and he clung to her like a lost child; they held each other tightly as if trying to meld their trembling bodies together. The tears behind Kitty's eyes were finally released as Avalanche silently sobbed, pressing his face to her breast. If only they could have stayed in that position, savoring the embrace they both needed so severely. But there was no more time.

Slowly collecting herself, Kitty stifled a cry and squeezed her partner's hand. Avalanche lifted his head and their gazes locked. The monster that had taken control of him was pushed back into the grasping darkness. Lance was truly back.

"Let's go." 

*** * ***

Cyclops acted as soon as he heard the familiar sound of the Danger Room initiating its auto defense systems. With perfectly honed reflexes he leapt out of the path of the incoming laser and unleashed a powerful red beam of his own—destroying one of the blasters before it could aim again. Others still fired, but were blocked by an invisible shield. Jean bared her teeth; she had never created a telekinetic bubble so large before to encase so many mutants, and she didn't know how long she could keep it up. She could feel each blast hitting the shield, forcing it back.

"Rest child, I shall take care of them!" Storm bellowed, her eyes glowing a fantastic white as she powered up. Rising into the air, hair billowing in the mutant-made current, bright bursts of electricity formed at her fingertips and zapped the five remaining guns, destroying them instantly.

They were safe—for the moment. If the Mindcoil had taken control of the Danger Room as they feared, they would soon face more terrors and there would be no pressing the reset button once it was over.

"Over zhere!" Nightcrawler urgently pointed to an exit tunnel on the opposite end of the arena. He could see the armored door rapidly closing and with a protective arm around the hobbling Boom-Boom he teleported. Once in the tunnel he pounded the controls frantically, hoping to override the system.

"Come _on_! Open, open, open!" A cry of frustration escaped his lips. "It's no use! It's not accepting ze commands!"

Boom-Boom wasn't paying attention; instead she rushed towards the door dragging her injured foot behind her. The other mutants were racing to reach the gates in time, Cyclops and Spyke slowed down by those they carried, Jean exhausted from straining her powers to form the shield. Her mind struggled to force back the doors, but she was no match for the Mindcoil. At best, she could only delay it by a few seconds. Rogue was in the lead, and she seemed to make it by a hair—a moment's hesitation and it looked like she'd be crushed between the two slabs of metal. Her friend extended her hand and with a mighty heave Boom-Boom pulled her out of harm's way. A split second before the doors slammed bony spikes from one of the X-Men were fired in an attempt to wedge them open, but were crushed to powder. Rogue and Boom-Boom both collapsed to the floor.

"No!" cried the Goth when she realized she was the only one to make it. Through the heavy, reinforced door the trio could hear shouts and the sounds of what had to be more weapons firing. Rogue forced herself to stand.

"You!" She grabbed onto Nightcrawler, desperation all over her face. "Teleport back there! Help them!" _Help Scott_, she didn't say aloud.

"I…I can't," he replied shakily. "If ze Danger Room's been reactivated I could 'port on a saw blade, o-or in the blast of a flamezhrover…"

She then screamed, "What good _are_ you?!"

 "Better'n dead," said Boom-Boom quietly.

Rogue spun around to argue, but a loud banging from the outside interrupted her. The steady pounding grew louder and louder, eventually drowning out all other sounds. Boom-Boom gave a jump as an indentation in the shape of a very large fist appeared on the door, almost bending it off the hinges. The three young mutants backed out of the way as a concussive red blast ripped through the door. Standing over it were Blob and Cyclops, who had removed his visor.

"Whew." Eyes squeezed shut he breathed a sigh of relief and slipped the visor back on over his head. "I didn't know if a blast at full strength would work."

"Cyclops, mein fruend! Zat vas some mighty fine shooting!" Nightcrawler shouted happily.

"Thanks, man. But we're not out of the water yet!" The team leader stopped short when he caught sight of Rogue's gentle, relieved smile. He thought he might have seen tears in her eyes, and even though she could not see _his_ eyes, Rogue could read his emotions just as easily. They said nothing, only exchanging grins.

Jean Grey was among the mutants who hastily filled the exit. Immediately she went to Cyclops' side and inadvertently observed the moment shared between him and the Brotherhood member. In her frazzled, weakened state her control slipped, and she could read their feelings as if they were written on a billboard. What she felt troubled her. _No, I can't be worrying about that now_.

"We were lucky, guys," announced Cyclops as he took control of the situation. "That Danger Room session was designed for intruders; people who _didn't_ have extensive training there. But there's no time for mistakes. This exit should take us to the upper level of the mansion, where we'll make our retreat." With a signal to follow him, Cyclops broke into a run.

 "Retreat? Man, shouldn't we fight back?! I don't like the idea o' that creepy thing taking over the mansion!" Spyke exclaimed.

 "Neither do I, but you heard the Professor. We get out of here."

"And how would we fight it, yo?" Toad demanded of the skater. "You saw what it did to Magneto and Quickie."

 "All I know is that this _burns_," he said angrily, eyes narrowed.

"But vhat about Kitty and Avalanche?" inquired Nightcrawler as he caught up with his fearless leader. "Zhey're still back zhere. Ve have to help zhem!" 

"We keep moving, Nightcrawler," said Cyclops stone-faced, hoping his voice would not betray his feelings. "There's nothing we can do for them."

*** * ***

"Can we make it out of here?" Avalanche asked hoarsely as another chunk of the ceiling fell through his intangible body.

"Yes—and we _will_." Kitty's resolve was steel, unbreakable; so unlike the boy beside her, whose mind had been violated in such an unspeakable manner. _It's strange…once I needed his strength to keep me going. Now he needs mine. Please, let it be enough_.

The last obstacle was the gigantic boulder that had cut Avalanche off from the rest of the fleeing party. Once the pair made it through, they'd be in the tunnel and home free, or so they hoped. The room continued to shake and any moment it felt like it would cave in. The boy and girl each took a broad step, passing through the wreckage as if they were never there, and at last escape was theirs. They hurried up the tunnel without a single glance back at the Mindcoil's misshapen body, hands clasped, blood pumping. The rumble in the chamber became distant until they ceased to hear it at all. Now the only sounds in the air were their heavy breaths. 

_Did the others make it out already_? Kitty wondered. They had traveled far and hadn't caught up with the X-Men; there were no echoes of voices or footsteps to let them know they were close behind. Kitty was so taken by those thoughts she grew careless as she ran—and nearly scuttled over the edge of a deep, winding pit. Avalanche saw it a second before she did and grabbed hold of her small form, pulling her back. Her face was ghostly white. 

 "Wh-What is that?" 

"I don't know…maybe a trap door?" offered Avalanche. The gaping hole definitely hadn't been there when last they came that way. Kitty took a tiny step forward, leaning over the edge. It was pitch black, no way she could discern where it led.

"Maybe the others…" She couldn't finish her sentence. If she had any tears left, she would have cried. Were they gone? Had her friends been swallowed by this trap and killed?

Avalanche put his arms around her in a feeble attempt at consolation. His emotions were still muddled and mixed, so the apparent loss did not strike him as much as it did her. It bothered him. Still there were other pressing, more immediate concerns. "That hole's pretty big. Could we jump across it?"

Collecting herself, Kitty stepped out of his embrace. "I wouldn't try it. We, like, don't even know where it could lead." _Face it, Pryde, you're stuck_.

"Then there's nothing we can do."

Kitty's body then became very still, and there was a strange look in her eyes. She was listening to a voice Avalanche could not hear. "What? Professor…_no_!"

Avalanche put his hands on her shoulders and steadied himself, forcing her to meet his gaze. "What's wrong?"

 She regained her senses slowly, looking at him as if just awakening from a dream. "Professor X. He—He was in my head. And then he was _gone_, like he was suddenly cut off." She touched her temple, shaking her head.

"What did he say?"

Kitty wrapped her arms around her body as a shiver ran through her. "He said we have to go _back_."

*** * ***

There were several cries of joy when at last the not-so merry mutants reached the end of the passageway and swarmed the exit. No longer lost in the labyrinthine tunnels, they had made their way to the surface only somewhat less than whole. Nightcrawler lent his shoulder to Boom-Boom despite her quiet protests that she was fine, and Spyke could only look at Quicksilver's unconscious expression with growing dismay. Jean used her recovering telekinetic abilities to help carry the Professor, who was still deep in a telepath's trance. No one mentioned Kitty or Avalanche.

Rogue hurried down the front steps with Cyclops beside her. Unconsciously her hand brushed his. Had the circumstances been any less dire, he might have taken it. So focused on these matters the teens strode down to the front door without noticing there was no body of a shape-shifter lying at the bottom of the stairs. Had Toad or Blob been observant, they would have realized that the metal sphere Magneto had used to make his arrival was missing, as was the gaping hole in the wall where it had entered. 

Cyclops reached for the knob. "It was rough, but we made it. Outside we'll get into the X-Vehicles and--" His sentence would remain unfinished as he opened the door and stepped forward…

…only to fall helplessly into a black abyss.

*** * ***

 "What's going on?! Where am I?!" Cyclops yelled as he continued to fall in the empty, seemingly bottomless void. He was not alone—several yards away he caught a glimpse of Nightcrawler plummeting as well. Could he teleport out of here, wherever this was? More images of his fellow mutants falling passed before his eyes. Spyke, mouth open in a silent scream; Toad, who looked like he'd fainted; Boom-Boom, eyes wide with fright; Jean Grey, flowing red hair obscuring her face.

"Jean! _Jean_!"

She gave no answer to his desperate shouts. It was possible that she hadn't heard them at all--or was beyond hearing. As terrible as that sight was there was one final falling figure that pushed Cyclops over the edge. Rogue. He saw her spiraling out of control, eyes closed, perhaps unconscious, and she was so very close to him. He threw out his arm. He reached for her, to touch her, grab her, prove that she was real—that _this_ was real—but his hand passed through her ghostly body, leaving only a trail of mist where a girl had once been.

_Am I going crazy_?

**No, Scott Summers. Quite the opposite.**

_That voice in my head…Mindcoil!_

**My, but you're a clever one.**

_The Danger Room…our escape from the mansion…that was all an illusion, wasn't it_?

**You're partly correct. You fled my chamber and fell into my trap, never suspecting that the obstacles you faced were all part of a little fantasy I projected into your brains.**

Cyclops' anger threatened to explode. _You haven't killed us, so what is this, then? Some kind of twisted game for you_? 

**No game. A test. I want to see for myself exactly what I'm capable of, and you all make such fine subjects for my experiments.**

_Bastard_! Cyclops clenched his teeth. Damn him for falling into this thing's hands! _What_ are _you_? How _could you overpower Professor X_?!

Cyclops could sense…_amusement_.

**He never told you. Odd, he used to be proud of me. But do you not feel it? The familiarity, the connection between him and I? When I first touched your mind you were almost able to place it. In a manner of speaking, I _am_ Professor X.**

With that the black void vanished, and Cyclops was floating alone as foreign images appeared around him. He was being enveloped in another elaborate illusion, one of an old-fashioned study, with hundreds of books stacked on shelves and maps and diagrams lining the walls. There was a table in front of him, and it was occupied. No, he quickly realized after recognizing the two men sitting, this was not an illusion, but a _memory_.

**There was a time when Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr—who you knew as Magneto—were friends and colleagues. They represented the finest mutantkind had to offer, both remarkably intelligent and powerful men with designs on the future. They knew they were not anomalies of nature. There were other mutants in the world, and Xavier predicted more would be born with every passing age. But how to contact them?**

The younger Xavier stood, this obviously occurring long before his crippling accident, visibly agitated. He and Erik Lensherr were having a bit of a disagreement. **I was originally designed to be something like that device, Cerebro. I would locate mutants once their X genes activated and make contact with them, but I was to be nothing but a machine. Lensherr had aspirations. He wanted to go farther. For a long time he expressed interest in unlocking the true potential of homo superior, though doing so would result in genetic experimentation on mutants. He conceived of a living organism combined with Xavier's technology that would reach out and unite his people. Xavier, predictably, had none of it. Unable to come to terms, they scrapped their initial plans and I was forgotten. Time passed, and Professor X and Magneto parted ways permanently. But thoughts of me still lingered in Magneto's mind.**

Another memory appeared. It was a laboratory in the dank depths of a European castle, a scene that seemed stolen from a horror film. Cyclops saw Magneto toiling away at his massive computer, composed and deep in thought. The Mindcoil continued. **In his travels Magneto had come in contact with many telepaths and telekinetics, and he possessed some genetic material from all of them. It was with those samples he created an organism with potentially limitless psi powers augmented with Cerebro's technology, a weapon that would be under his command. I had barely begun this life when I was abandoned. Xavier's ally Wolverine had discovered the base and would have exposed everything had Magneto not destroyed his records. Later Wolverine returned to the laboratory with Xavier in tow, and I was found. I was a weak specimen, hardly alive, but he kept me, shocked, yet full of pity. He didn't know Magneto was willing to go so far.**

Now Cyclops was once again in the underground chamber, where he could see the Professor attending to the Mindcoil, smaller than the blob he had earlier seen and far more shriveled. **Magneto had one task in mind for me, a single act that was to be the reason for my existence. It was programmed into me, and it took only the slightest mental probing to discover what it was. I was the key to Project Vortex. I, with my unlimited psychic potential, would reach out and touch every single mind on earth, separate mutant from human, and _attack_. I would break down the walls of every individual human mind, gathering billions into one single consciousness that would collapse upon itself given its sheer magnitude, thus killing every human male, female, and child on the planet.**

A chill ran down Cyclops' spine and all color vanished from his face. There…were no words…nothing could _possibly_…

**I suppose you must be wondering why your precious Professor would keep me alive knowing this. In truth, I'm not entirely certain. Fatherly pride, perhaps? I'm inclined to go with unmitigated _arrogance_. He thought he could reason with me, instruct me to _help_ humanity…all out of arrogance. He thought he knew me. He thought he could control me. Because, after all_, he was my main genetic template_.**

**I hated him. He held me back, always underestimating me, denying me the world I was made to destroy. But he's gone now. It wasn't much of a fight. He spread his powers too thin trying to shield the minds of all you youngsters and fell victim to my psychic assault. Now he's like you, lost in the void. And _I_ am all that remains.**

But he was still just a blob trapped below the mansion, without a real body to call its own. If nothing else, there was that. There was still hope it could be stopped…

**Don't even think such a thing, Scott Summers. While it's true Pietro Maximoff was stolen from me before I could complete the personality transfer, there are still two fresh young things within my grasp. So full of vigor and life. Ripe for the taking.**

Cyclops was gripped with even more terror. _Lance and Kitty. No_!

*** * ***

 "The Professor said we have to go back and _destroy_ it."

The quakes had, oddly enough, stopped by the time Avalanche and Kitty retraced their steps back into the entrance of the Mindcoil's chamber. Everything was still and silent. Neither liked it one bit; just what were they getting themselves into?

_Destroy it, huh?_ Avalanche exhaled, frowning as he thought. _It can read minds. It can move things at will. It killed Magneto, for god's sake! What chance do the two of us have against that thing_?

While Avalanche had his doubts, Kitty put her faith in the Professor's reasoning. Her powers could get them through anything the psychic monster threw at them, and Avalanche's helmet would protect him from its devastating mental assaults. It wasn't impossible, and they _would_ succeed. That she swore.

The girl could feel a presence in the back of her head, and it was a familiar sensation. She felt it many times in the past, whenever Xavier would telepathically contact his students. It was warm and benevolent even though it said nothing. Kitty knew then that the Professor was with them.

His eyes focusing on the tank across the wide room, Avalanche steeled himself for whatever was to come. He now understood what had happened to him, and that he had betrayed his friends and almost killed the one he loved all because of that damn floating brain. _If I can kill this thing, I will. But first…I…_

"Kitty…" He wanted to tell her he was sorry, that he knew everything was his fault and he wanted to atone for it, and above all he wanted to tell her he loved her. He lost his voice; it didn't matter, they had never really needed words anyway. He offered her a small smile, hoping it was enough to convey the deep, complicated feelings in his heart. She bridged the distance between their bodies by taking his hand, and the expression on her face told him she understood everything. She was still so beautiful, even after all the tears and scares. If they were characters in a movie or comic book they would have enjoyed what could easily be their last kiss, but the idea struck Avalanche as being silly and inappropriate. 

_There will be time enough for that later_, Kitty thought, unaware they were thinking of the same thing. _Yes_.

Avalanche murmured, "Just…don't let go of my hand, okay?"

"Never."

And so they walked forward together, brows knitted, uncertain of what was to come. As soon as their feet stepped into the chamber the place came alive, the rubble and wreckage rising from the floor and flying towards them. Avalanche gasped though needn't have been afraid. The menacing projectiles passed harmlessly through them. They continued on, one step after another.

The foreign presence was still in Kitty's head for she could feel it in her thoughts. It was stronger now, and she heard a faint humming. She tried to ignore it even as it became an angry buzz. It was like static blocking her receptions. No…what was wrong with her? Why couldn't she think clearly all of a sudden? Why _now_? Rubbing her temple with her free hand she fought to keep her mind on what was going on around her. _Get to the Mindcoil. Destroy it_. 

It was louder still. The sound was too much—it was starting to cloud her thoughts and ruin her concentration. She couldn't get a grip on herself. It started to _hurt_. _Professor_…_why are you_…?

But then it hit her just as the real pain struck. It wasn't her precious Professor Xavier in her head, but rather his terrible creation. 

_No_!

A small boulder hit Avalanche's chest. It struck the armor plates in his uniform and did no damage, but he had felt it, and that was perhaps worse. He was tangible again. His eyes darted to Kitty, hunched forward holding her head. She squeezed his hand so hard her nails dug into his skin. 

 "Are you all right?!" 

She wanted to scream, _Get out of here, now_! Instead she fell to her knees, her hand slipping out of her lover's like a slick, dead fish. She couldn't even keep herself intangible, for the Mindcoil had shut off her access to her powers. In one stroke he had reduced her to nothing but a quivering mess on the floor. 

_Kitty_! Avalanche swallowed the vicious truth that he couldn't do anything for her. He was unable to share her pain, but maybe he could end it. It took every bit of his strength to walk away from the suffering girl, and he forced himself to move fast. There was no way he was going to be taken out. He was going to reach the Mindcoil. Then the pain would stop.

His training as an X-Man had made him fast and improved his reflexes, and while ducking and dodging the clumsily thrown rubble was no easy feat, he was moving forward. Baring his teeth, pushing his body to the limit despite its aches and injuries, he was almost at the tank. _Hold on, Kitty, hold on_, he thought, lips twisting into a wicked grin, _I'm going to crush this ugly bastard with my bare hands_.

The Mindcoil had no intention of letting him succeed. Avalanche was near him now, hands outstretched, a mad gleam in his eye. So sure of an imminent victory that he didn't hear the chunk of titanium rising from the ravaged floor. Kitty saw the quick flash of movement behind him but could do nothing. There was a bloodcurdling sound as the metal impacted against the back of Avalanche's skull, shattering his helmet. In shock, the boy collapsed. Avalanche was gone.

And the Mindcoil was free to do its work.

*** * ***

Scott Summers was falling helplessly into the black night. It was a scene engraved into his mind since that fateful night and replayed itself in his nightmares often. There was no moon or stars in the heavens to give him light, but then the sky suddenly exploded, orange and red fire raining down on his young, tumbling body. He saw the burning wreckage and knew it was the remnants of his parent's small plane. His family—Mom, Dad, and little Alex—were all gone. And soon he would be too. There was no parachute to stop his rapid descent. He hadn't been able to save them, and he was filled with the terrible knowledge that he had failed his _new_ family too. He was just a _child_, curse him, unable to do anything except fall. _Who could protect them now? _

Tabitha Smith was home again, or rather, at the old house back in Roanoke.  She opened the door quietly, sneaking back in after a long night of partying, hoping she wouldn't wake her mom. She always freaked out when Tabitha left, and as annoying as it was, she knew deep down the woman was only worried about her. Creeping down the hall, she slipped in something, almost falling. Cursing, she groped for the light switch and flicked it on. She nearly screamed. On the floor was her mother, and Tabitha had slipped on the congealing pool of blood where her head had been smashed in. Then she saw _him_ standing in the doorframe, lead pipe in hand. 

"You're coming with me, Tabby," he said, his voice low with a harsh ring. "Your powers are going to make me rich."

"Oh my god! Dad!"

Kurt Wagner felt hands grabbing at him, pushing him along the dirt path. His arms bound behind his back, he was shoved onto a platform where coarse rope was tied around his body, chaining him to something. He could hear jeers, angry shouts, and voices madly condemning him to hell. The blindfold was ripped from his eyes and he saw the horror for himself. He was tied to a stake, ready to be burned. Gasping, he recognized the people from his village in Bavaria, but among the vile faces he saw his teammates, the X-Men. Grinning viciously, Scott carried a keg of kerosene and splashed it about the wood at Kurt's feet, while Jean laughed and Kitty waved a matchbox in front of his face, striking a match and letting it burn out on her fingertips one by one. 

  "Kill the demon!" Evan cried.

"Yes!" screamed Jean. "Burn him alive!"

"No! Don't do zhis!" Kurt begged, looking for mercy in the beloved faces. "I am your friend!"

Kitty sneered, "I am no friend to this ugly freak! Cleanse the earth with our holy fire!" 

The girl known only as Rogue found herself in a cemetery on a murky night, the moon shining down on her full and white. Spanish moss draped crumbling mausoleums and there was a statue of an angel in the distance partially hidden by the heavy mist, a ghostly figure in the darkness. There was a strange feeling in the air and she removed a glove, just in case. 

Then there was a sharp sound, like a window breaking or something being smashed. She turned her head in the direction of the noise, but saw nothing amiss. She crept past one of the open mausoleums, and was grabbed by the shoulder. Spinning around, Rogue was horrified by the sight in front of her. _Cody_. She knew who he was, as part of him still remained inside her. But this wasn't the robust, blue-eyed boy she had briefly known—this Cody was a rotting cadaver, a skeleton with gaunt flesh hanging off its bones, his mouth open in a sneer. As she tried to run from him bony hands tore through the loose soil under her feet, groping for her legs. The corpses pulled themselves back up from their shallow graves, moaning like the damned. She knew them all. _Avalanche. Storm. Jean Grey. Mystique. _There was one last face that shouldn't have been there. 

"_Scott_!"

They were mummies, sucked dry of their life force by a creature more contemptible than any vampire. Their powers, their memories, every thing that made them who they were had been stolen from them. There was no way to apologize or make amends. It was impossible to put things right. And now they wanted vengeance. 

Kitty Pryde was losing herself. She was on her knees clutching her throbbing head as it was assaulted by a psychic presence. She had never known such agony—it was something akin to a pickaxe being thrust into one's cerebral cortex again and again. The pain was so blinding she didn't feel the change take place. There was a rustle of material and a chill, and opening her sweat-stung eyes she saw she had phased through her clothes. Now naked, she was filled with terror as she realized she was slowly sinking. Her body had become intangible on its own will, and she couldn't stop it.

Kitty could see Avalanche far away, his back turned as he marched away from her. "Lance! _Lance_!" She screamed over and over again but he paid her no mind. He didn't even turn to look at her. "Lance! _I'm falling_--! Help me, _please_!" She threw out her hand as her waist disappeared into the cold floor. _Please take it_, she begged. _Please pull me up and help me! This can't be happening—it can't! No! I need you!_

Her prayers were not answered. She screamed and screamed until her mouth phased through the floor, and then Kitty was lost. 

*** * ***

Lance Alvers knew that this was all familiar. The last thing he recalled was the sound of his helmet breaking on impact. There was no feeling of pain or memory of hitting the floor. Everything had dissolved into black. Here he was again, alone in a dark void. His consciousness took shape, reforming his body as it remembered it—lean yet muscular body, long brown hair, dark eyes, a black X-Man uniform clothing his form. Then, suddenly, he was no longer alone. There was a voice in the void calling out to him.

The world around him formed itself as well, and now he stood. It was a chamber fashioned much like the one the Mindcoil spent its life in, but the once sterile walls were now colorful, with red curtains surrounding him and swaying in a non-existent breeze, the floor psychedelic black and white zigzags. He heard something shuffling nearby, like footsteps. Someone called out his name, and Lance recognized it immediately. The curtains in front of him parted and he stared at none other than himself.

"Avalanche" returned the even gaze, though he did not look so shocked or confused. Standing tall in the black, brown, and gray armor of the Avalanche that had been brainwashed into joining the Brotherhood of Mutants, he wore a small, confident smile.

"What are you supposed to be," Lance sneered, looking his doppelganger over, "my evil twin? My dark half?"

Avalanche put his hands on his hips and shook his head, curling his upper lip. When he spoke it was like listening to a recording of his voice, fundamentally the same, yet sounding off to his own ears. "Huh. Try choice c: _none of the above_. In fact, I'm probably a lot more whole than _you_ are." He flicked the X insignia on Lance's belt. "I don't hide behind _this_."

"Whatever." Lance waved him off with a curt dismissal. "This is all a trick. I know it." As soon as those words left his mouth realization hit him. _Losing the helmet, blacking out, being _here _and having this conversation_…

 "We failed." His voice was a whisper.

Avalanche broke into a wide grin. "That's right."

"So…what's going on? Is the Mindcoil just…"

"It's doing what it was created to do." On that particularly pleasant note, Avalanche snapped his fingers, and the scarlet curtains to the right of them were pulled back, revealing a large wall of television screens, all broadcasting a different image. 

Lance's eyes darted from screen to screen, recognizing all the faces. On one he saw Tabitha being menaced by a bulky older man wielding a pipe, and on another Kurt howled as flames roasted his flesh, a horrible sight juxtaposed with people's joyous shouts. One stopped his heart; it was Kitty, naked and sobbing as she phased uncontrollably through the layers of rock under the earth's surface until she would inevitably phase through the _planet_—

"_What the hell_ is _this_?!" Lance lunged toward the image of himself, grabbing him by the neck. 

Avalanche shoved the hands away and looked at the X-Man in barely-disguised disgust. "The Mindcoil is testing itself. Right now it's picking apart the brains of your friends and enemies and turning their own minds against them. A pretty inventive form of torture, if you want my opinion."

Ignoring the last bit Lance demanded, "Then why am _I_ here? Am I supposed to just stand here and _watch_?!"

"Sort of," answered his companion. "The Mindcoil's interested in you. You were the last one to fall. You even outlasted Xavier! That's no small feat, you know. You're probably still going to die, but at least you get to see and understand what's happening."

Lance buried his face in his hands, trying to block it all out as frustration, fury and terror threatened to drive him over the edge. "Oh _god_. Kitty." The following words were for her only. "I'm sorry…I don't know what to do."

 "Hey! Do you want to pay attention here?!" snapped Avalanche.

Having fallen silent, Lance looked up from his hands. 

"All right, _as I was saying_, it's taking them apart. For some of them, their worst nightmares are bad memories they tried to hide deep inside themselves--" He pointed to one image of a little Ororo Munroe crushed under wreckage of her house, weeping for her lost mother, "--and others are fears of what could be." His finger moved to the scene of Fred Dukes locked behind the bars of a circus cage, gawked at by snickering hicks because all he could do was eat and cry. "But it's all the same, really."

Lance balled his hands into fists. "How can you talk like that? Like it—doesn't mean anything—like you don't care--!"

Again, that disgusted look. He reminded him of Pietro Maximoff, in that he wanted to punch him in the face. "I _don't_ care, Lance, and really, why should you? The X-Men aren't your friends. I wouldn't be surprised if they never trusted you at all. And the Brotherhood sure as hell aren't," he stopped to chuckle, "I don't think I need to say why. I guess Kitty's the only one who really matters, huh?"

Lance stiffened.

"Was she really worth it all? Kitty's just a silly little valley girl. Sure, it's cool to date a rebel, but girls like her don't stick around. They marry the captain of the football team or maybe the class president, get facials every week and have a litter of girls who grow up to be just like them. Guys like you become a memory." He walked over to Lance and put an arm over his shoulder, raising his eyebrows as he asked, "Be honest, was she even that good a lay?"

"Shut up!" With that angry yell Lance pushed him away, seething.

"It was just a question! Come on, Lance, you can talk to _me_. You joined the X-Geeks for her. All the choices you made were for her sake, not yours. I know you weren't really happy with those guys. Playing it by the rules, keeping on the straight and narrow…how boring. What happened to the Lance Alvers who stole cars for fun and used his powers to scare delivery boys when he didn't want to pay for his pizza? You got soft for her, man. And she betrayed you." 

Lance raised his hand to stop him. "_No_." He took a few deep breaths. "That was Mystique, not Kitty. I knew it. Deep in my heart I--"

"Never trust what your heart says. It will only get you into trouble."

Lance shook his head, putting on a grim expression. "I _refuse_ to listen to this. You won't turn me against her. Nothing ever will again."

"Fine then, let's pretend. How do you think she would react if she found out her entire relationship with you was just a lie? Would she stay by your side if she knew the truth?"

"Excuse me?"

Avalanche folded his arms over his chest. "Remember the day you first met? The poor confused girl and her valiant protector. Some hero. Of course she had no idea why you _really_ asked her to meet you in that spot outside the offices. Oh no, you're a _good_ guy, there's no way you'd ever use her to steal for you."

Lance ran his fingers through his hair and swallowed hard. "What I did was wrong—I already fucking know that! God knows I'm sorry for it. That's who I was, who I'm not anymore. I've changed!"

"You haven't done anything but wear a mask. You put it on the minute you approached her in the school hallway, picking up her books and acting like a friend. You wanted her right from the start. You hid behind the X so you could have her." With a look of scorn he lowered his tone. "You were always such a child, Lance. Wanting to be good so someone would love you. Your parents, Kitty…you sacrifice yourself for them again and again, and they always leave you in the same state."

"Alone." Lance stared down at his hands as he clenched them into fists and slowly released them. He repeated the action. He looked up slowly at Avalanche. It was like gazing into a distorted mirror. _Through a glass darkly_? His left eye ticked. "Christ…what _are_ you?"

Avalanche gave a deceptively friendly chuckle. "I'm…an alternative."

"What?"

"Like I said, Lance, I'm you. A version of you that never was. Part of me was created by your fears and the question 'what if.' The Mindcoil completed me and brought me here."

Lance recoiled and threw down his hands. "You're no part of me!"

Avalanche stepped toward him and roughly grabbed him, putting their palms together. "Feel me. I'm real, see? So don't go thinking you're crazy for talking to yourself."

Lance pulled away. "Stop this."

"No." He was grinning again, damn him. Around them the televisions flickered, their images changing. Now the dozens of screens all projected Avalanche's wicked expression. "Do you know what I am now, Lance?"

He shook his head slowly. 

"_Your_ nightmare."

*** * ***

Lance was back at the beginning, in Northbrook. Leaning against the outside of the school office, he looked up and saw Kitty quietly approach. Riley and Amy hadn't attacked her on the way there, and they never would.

"H-How _do_ you take control?" she asked with a small tremble.

Lance smirked.

It was easy. Kitty phased through the wall and opened the door for him, and they were in, just like that. In the thrill of the moment she threw her arms around him.

"Did you see me? Did you?"

"Yeah!" he lied. "Wow Kitty, how did it feel?"

"It was, like, totally unbelievable!"

_I'll say_, he thought, enjoying the feeling of her body pressed against his. "You're making it yours, Kitty. Once you own it, nothing can own you."

But her smile vanished when it became clear what the whole thing was about.

"Cheating?!" she cried incredulously. Her illusion of him was cracking. "This doesn't feel right!"

What did she think they were going to do? It wasn't as if he was being selfish, after all, he was going to modify her grades first. No victim, no problem. The way she was acting up she'd ruin everything. Lance grabbed her to stop her from fleeing.

The door burst open. "Let go of my daughter!"

Shit. It was her dad, along with that redhead bitch from the drama room. Well, they weren't going to take her away from him. Finder's keepers, right?

"They're just going to confuse you, Kitty!" Using his powers to knock over a row of books, he took care of Mr. Pryde. As a result of his anger the office rumbled and shook, and in a few minutes the whole place would be coming down. 

Jean Grey shielded the Prydes and herself from the crumbling roof. Her eyes bore into Kitty. "You called your gift a curse. If you go with him, I guarantee you it will be!"

"Please, Kitty, listen to her!" sobbed Kitty's mother.

Her father added for effect, "Sweetheart, we love you!"

_Yeah, like either of you really care_. _You're just afraid.  She doesn't need you anymore. She belongs with me!_ "Forget them!" Making an exit, he half-dragged her across the room. "You're with me now!"

"No, I'm _not_!" Kitty phased herself out of his grip and ran toward her family. She made her choice…and he wasn't it. The earth reacted to his cry of outrage and the ceiling collapsed, crushing her underneath its weight. Horrorstruck at what he had unintentionally done, Lance did the only thing he could. He ran for it.

It was much later from a hillside that he saw she had survived along with her family. Her powers had done it, of course. Lance didn't know what to feel as she held her parents' hands and spoke with Red and Xavier. They all hugged. _Oh, make me puke, why don't you_. _Fuck_.

"I'd say you've blown your chances at this school, haven't you?"

He turned; the voice belonged to a tall dark-haired woman he had never seen before. "And you are…?"

She smiled. "Your new advisor. I've made an opening for you at Bayville High." To his surprise, Mystique revealed her true face. "I have much to teach you, my young Avalanche."

_Stop this…these images in my head…they aren't mine! They aren't mine!_

Proudly decked out in his new Brotherhood livery, Avalanche and his teammates were eager for their first real fight against their bitter rivals. Pacing around a dusty storage room at school, the X-Men had the gizmo that had trapped Kurt in another dimension, and the Brotherhood boys wanted it for their own. It wasn't surprising that the X-Man Avalanche chose to corner was the one who had turned their back to him that fateful day in Northbrook. He pointed a finger in an attempt at intimidation. "You and me got a date, Pretty Kitty!" He stomped his foot, turning the floor into one giant seismic wave. "How about a ride on the concrete coaster?"

He didn't hurt her, of course. Shadowcat rode the wave and passed through the wall, reappearing once it ended with a landing she'd learned in martial arts. She took a fighting stance, her ponytail whipping behind her. _Bring it on_, her body seemed to say. "Lousy ride, loser!"

_My head…Holy God, get out_!

Despite the incident at their old school and the constant battles against each other, Lance still thought of Kitty. He couldn't figure it out. All he knew was that he liked her, and sometimes it drove him mad late at night, thinking of her with the X-Freaks. She should have just gone with him. Things would have been better that way. His feelings showed no signs of leaving, and after a while he decided to make his move. He could convince her he was a decent guy, no problem. However his flirting and an attempt to show off had nearly resulted in a member of the Bayville High faculty being crushed under a falling scoreboard. He had followed her outside the gym, trying to apologize. She wasn't having any of it.

"Come on, Kitty, don't be mad. I said I was sorry."

As the Brotherhood snickered behind him in the jeep, Kitty glowered. "Lance, you can be such a jerk sometimes--!" She tried to walk away, but Lance took her by the wrist, forcing her to look at him. Couldn't she see he was sincere?!

"Alvers! Leave her alone." Oh great, _Summers._ Just what he needed.

Kitty rubbed her wrist after phasing out of his grasp. She eyed Scott as he stormed down the sidewalk.

"Go recharge your batteries, Goggle-Boy! This is between _me_ and _her_."

Scott touched his shades. "Oh yeah? Well now it's between _you_ and _me_."

"Come on, Summers!" Lance shoved him, egging him on. "Let's see your eyeballs blast me through the fence! Right here, right now!"

Ever aware of the curious students hanging around them, Kitty interposed herself between the two, pleading with her team leader. "Scott, don't let him bait you. He knows we can't do that stuff out in the open!"

Taking a deep breath, Scott listened to her. Straightening himself he gave the assembled Brotherhood one last sneer. He walked away. "Come on, Kitty."

Feeling Lance's eyes on her she scowled at him, the expression on her face making it very clear what she thought of him.

_Get this out of my head! I don't want to see! I don't want to know! Kitty_!

More memories unfolded. Exchanging blows with Cyclops on a rain-soaked soccer field…watching their new recruit Tabitha explode the soda machine--_breaking rules and appliances you'd fit right in at our place--_Kitty looking into his eyes not with love but contempt, beating his chest with her fists, cursing him, calling him a hood…enraged by her words, pushing her away crashing cars right through her _that's right never be good enough for you how dare she talk to me this way_ it was all so real. 

A tiny part of him remained aware of what was going on. The Mindcoil was inside him, using his memories and fears to create a nightmare world that would drive him to the breaking point. Even so, he couldn't fight it. The "memories" of the other Avalanche engulfed him completely; Lance started to lose his hold on which life was real, and which was the fabrication. The Mindcoil was nothing if not efficient. 

"See?" The tape recorder voice spoke again. "Wouldn't it be wonderful if you were me?"

Lance remained frozen as the specter of Avalanche appeared before him, coming closer. Then it happened. The apparition phased through him, and for a few moments he was terrified as their separate beings merged, becoming one and the same—_Lance or Avalanche which one are you_—and Avalanche left him just as quickly, leaving his thoughts in Lance's mind like an oil slick, black and foul. He was going to be sick.

And Lance screamed. 

*** * ***

Rogue had given up her struggling long ago. The zombies of those she had imprinted overpowered her, biting, scratching and clawing, and she let them do it, tears streaming down her pale cheeks, mixing with the blood. She deserved this. The pain and the terror she felt must have been nothing compared to what they had all suffered at her hands. This pain was only physical; she had violated their _minds,_ stolen their _lives_.

A scream that was not her own rang in her ears, deafening her. Rogue's eyes opened wide as the living dead shrieked at the piercing sound, exploding in a cloud of dust. She tumbled onto her backside in shock as her tormenters vanished. The tears and marks on her flesh were gone. She wasn't even covered in blood. What had happened?

Kurt sputtered and coughed as dark smoke filled his lungs. His tears burned away by the rising flames, he tried to squeeze his eyes shut to block out the terror. And try as he might, he couldn't teleport. The sounds of his friends' righteous cheers were all he could hear. Delirious with pain, he wasn't even able to muster a prayer to heaven for the safe voyage of his soul. Soon it would be all over…

But then a cry of pain and horror ripped through the air, drowning out everything. Suddenly the flames licking at Kurt's body no longer hurt, and a great wind swept them back into the crowd of villagers and villainous friends, where they burned and scorched them till they were nothing but ash. Kurt trembled as his terrible burns healed themselves. The shackles around him turned to rust and fell off his limbs, useless. Overcome by emotion, Kurt fell to his knees and brought his three-fingered hands together, praying in thanks. 

"How could you do it, Dad?" Tabitha wailed, looking down at her mother's freshly dead body. Her glassy eyes were open and lifeless, and a small trickle of blood ran down her lips and neck, staining her sweatshirt. The expression frozen on her face was of pure fright.

"I didn't want to, but the stupid bitch got in my way. Now don't put up a fight, Tabby," he cautioned, extending a hand for her to take. _Come quietly_, his sinister eyes instructed. "I need your powers to help with a little business deal o' mine. I'm your father and you'll do as I say."

Her left hand hidden behind her back, Tabitha formed one of her energy bombs in her palm. It was the largest she had created in a long time. "No…I won't!" She flung her hand forward, tossing the explosive. It burst in his face, blinding him. The blonde took the opportunity and ran but he leapt after her, grabbing her before she could reach the door and knocking her to the floor. His face red and blistered, he raised the pipe over his head just as a loud, foreign scream shattered all the windows in the house…

…and he fell to the floor, dead as the proverbial dodo. 

Phasing through the ground always made Kitty tense; it reminded her of being buried alive. Even with all her training there was still the lingering fear that one time she'd lose control and end up solid in a layer of solid rock. She wanted to stop her rapid phasing, but the thought of dying under the earth's crust was just as terrifying as her only other option. She was barely sixteen years old, and she didn't want to die. Not like this. Naked and alone, frightened out of her mind, Kitty wept.

There was a distant rumble, and Kitty's unwelcoming surroundings began to change. Layers of rock twisted and distorted, then seemed to liquefy. The rumblings continued, increasing her fear, getting louder and louder until she understood what it was she was hearing: a boy's _scream_. Opening her eyes, Kitty exclaimed, "Lance!"

The illusion around her cracked, and Kitty awoke to the real world. Clothed and solid, curled in the fetal position on the floor of the Mindcoil's chamber, she shivered.

*** * ***

In the depths of his consciousness, Lance fell onto the projection of a floor, his breaths strained and heavy. He had no idea what had just occurred, save that it had been extremely painful and there were a variety of strange memories and thoughts floating around inside him, making his mind a very crowded place. 

The doppelganger frowned. "All the televisions exploded," he mused, distraught. "You _couldn't_ have done this. Or could you?" He circled the fallen rock-tumbler and then seemed to twitch. "Something's…_wrong_. For some reason the Mindcoil can't kill you off. Its powers are failing it. This is _way_ weird."

"Is it?" moaned Lance as he picked himself off the black and white floor. 

"You shouldn't still be here," scolded Avalanche. "That contact was supposed to _destroy_ you."

Lance broke into want might have been a smile; under the circumstances it looked more like a grimace. "Guess you don't know me that well, huh?"

Avalanche twitched again, and that time it was plainer to see. He touched his face as if suffering from a migraine.

"What's wrong? You don't look so good."

Avalanche was no longer amused. Fidgeting, he pressed his lips together. _This isn't right, this isn't right at all_.

"Maybe the big bad Mindcoil isn't so great and terrible after all." Lance wearily took a small step toward his other self.

"It's just coming into its powers, and must have strained itself. Don't worry, you'll be dead soon enough." Ah, now he was defensive.

"No…I don't think so." He shook his head, eyes wide and bloodshot. "I _saw_ them, in my head, when I screamed…Kitty, Summers, and all the others. I think they're gonna be waking up soon."

"Don't kid yourself. It was over the moment you stepped into the chamber." But was it really? Avalanche was an extension of the Mindcoil; it could feel the confusion and fury of his master. And Lance was right. It was losing its hold on the captive mutants and they were stirring. This didn't make sense. The Mindcoil's powers were _unlimited_.

"Ahhh-_aauugggghhhhh_!" Avalanche let out an agonizing moan, his whole body starting to convulse. When the shaking stopped, it was a different voice coming from his mouth. "No more time for pleasantries," the Mindcoil rasped, lifting his hand and clenching a fist.

The simple action sent a blast of pain directly to Lance's thoughts, enough to make him reel back like being at the receiving end of a punch to the face. Meant to be a final, killing blow, it vexed the Mindcoil very much to see him still standing on shaky legs. To aggravate it further, Lance was now _laughing_. 

It seethed. "How…? This can't be!"

**You condemned me for _my_ arrogance, yet are undone because of your own.** A new, distorted voice filled the room with its sound. Lance gasped in both shock and relief.

The Mindcoil's tone lost its monotone quality, and clearly frantic, it cried out, "No! This is wrong! You…you're…"

**Lost in the void? Is that how you put it? I'm surprised you thought I could be defeated so easily. We are essentially the same being, are we not? ** A man stepped through the curtains. There was no mistaking who he was.

Avalanche's face contorted with rage, his eyes bulging out of their sockets. Lance's senses tingled as the air around him came alive with psychic energy. He felt out of place in his own consciousness as the two telepathic giants squared off. 

**I've been here all along, slowly creeping into _your_ mind, blocking you off. I told you I intended to correct my mistake, and you won't be hurting anyone anymore.** There was anger in his voice. The following words, however, contained sadness and regret. **Lance, it's time for you to go.**

"It's much too late for that, Xavier!" The twisted mockery of Lance Alvers hissed, reaching out and ruthlessly grabbing his weakened reflection by the hair. "This one is already mine!" With a long finger he caressed the X-Man's cheek like a prized possession. "I've touched his _soul_. I've tasted it! His needs, his dreams, and his fears—I've shared them! _I am he, and he is me_."

Somehow, Lance found it within him to take hold of the doppelganger's arms encircling him. His grip tightened, fingers latching onto the skin. "No…" Exposing his clenched teeth, furrowing his brow, Lance repeated the word. "No. I…"

The red curtain room, the place formed in the rock-tumbler's mind, started to fall apart. A single mighty tremor shook it to its very foundations, the destroyed television screens disappearing, the floor beneath them vanishing, and the three figures fell into the nothingness. Avalanche fought to keep his grip on the struggling Lance, but his fingers slipped through his ghostly self. There was nothing to hold onto. There was a bitten-of yell as hands latched onto him, holding him back. Xavier's mental projection had it in his grasp, and his hands disappeared inside its chest cavity despite its mad thrashings, melding their two selves into one. Xavier looked down at Lance as he faded from view. Yes, he told himself, this was right. Where they were going, Lance could not follow.

_Damn you! I won't let you take me! He is mine!_

"…I…"

_If I cannot kill your mind…_

"_I am not you_!"

And Lance woke. He was back, his mind more or less intact. He had made it out of the nightmare. A small, relieved noise escaped his lips as he pulled himself off the floor littered with debris, no longer part of the wreckage. His dark brown eyes focused on the tank in front of him, most importantly the fleshy blob inside it. Reaching out, he flexed his fingers. The hurt between his ears had disappeared. He was calm, focused, in control, his powers at his mercy. He knew who he was. He was going to kill the Mindcoil. One step forward, and a voice in the void…

_If I cannot kill your mind…_

Lance stopped, his mouth hanging open. The boy's arms fell limply at his sides. His eyes wide as saucers, he closed them so as not to see the pipe sticking out of his abdomen. 

_…I will kill your body_.

The wave of pain crashed over him all at once, taking him under its tow. Eyelids flickering, he caught a fleeting glimpse of a piece of sheet metal being lifted and hurtling toward him in a flash, its sharp edges eager to decapitate him. He had come so far and suffered so much, and in a moment it would all come to an end. The sad truth was, he suddenly didn't mind…

The blow never came. Instead there was the tiniest tingling as the sheet passed through him, clattering on the ground. He felt something else; a body, small and trembling, pressed against his back, arms wrapped around his waist and clinging to him for dear life. Kitty sobbed into the back of his uniform.

He was still alive.

**Yes,** said a warm, sad voice in the back of his head, **you know what you must do.**

_Yeah, Professor. I know_.

Two shaky hands wrapped around the lead pipe, and steeling himself for the agony, Lance pulled it out. He was extremely lucky it hadn't gone right through him. Letting the Mindcoil's crude weapon fall to the floor, his fingers sought Kitty's. Lance moved his head and stared into her glistening eyes. A moment passed between them, and they seemed to read each other's thoughts. Kitty gave him her body to lean on and forced herself to ignore the blood streaming down his middle. Fingers intertwined, they marched on.

The hideous blob that had terrorized them twitched like mad. Perhaps it was panicking. It tried to invade their thoughts, but those doors were closed to it now. Trapped in its shell, it fought to strike them down telekinetically but could only send a few small boulders their way, which of course they phased through with little effort.

Back in the depths of its mental plane Xavier still struggled to keep his creation in his grasp. It fought, kicked, and screamed, using everything in its power to break away. It didn't want to die. 

Xavier was filled with self-reproach. He was not the one who had given this poor creature life, but his burden was just as great. His folly had almost destroyed his home and his students, everything he held to be precious and right. He remembered words Logan had once spoken to him: _Charles, this is bad news. It's just a brain--this thing has no heart or soul. No right to exist_.

_Ah, alas and alack. I regret not listening to you then, my friend_.

Lance and Kitty were upon it now. In one fluid motion their joined hands reached out, phasing through the amniotic fluid and the Mindcoil, shorting out its mechanical bits and pieces.

**_I will not die_!** Frenzied, the Mindcoil's astral projection lashed out at Xavier, striking him back when he was momentarily lost in thought. It could feel its physical body slowly begin to perish. It was inevitable, it realized to its horror; Lance and Kitty would not spare it and there was no other body left for it to take. It wasted none of its limited time. **If you try to take me, I won't go alone!**

"Lance!"

"It's not me!" the injured boy insisted as the chamber rattled and rumbled under a tremendous force. Kitty shrieked as the ceiling started to fold in on itself with a great, frightening lurch. The world above, below, and around them was coming to pieces. It was more than the chamber—now the entire mansion was on the verge of collapse. 

_It knows what it's doing! It's going to bring all of us down with it_! It was possible for Kitty to phase herself and her companion to safety though the exertion would be a nightmare, but what about her friends who were still trapped in the mansion somewhere? What of the X-Men?

*** * ***

**Scott, wake up!**

Cyclops jerked awake. Lying on his back and surrounded by bodies, he saw that they were once again in the Danger Room, where they had been all along. He was tired, disoriented. Bits and pieces of the imaginary escape, the Mindcoil's explanation of its origins, and the plane crash—_oh god, the plane crash_—danced in his mind. Jean, Nightcrawler, and the others were starting to rise up as well. _That voice, just now…that wasn't the Mindcoil. The Professor? What on Earth is happening_?

"Man, have Ah got one killer headache," Rogue lamented, scratching her sore back. Still groggy, it hadn't quite sunk in yet that she was on the metallic floor of the Danger Room, not safe in bed. 

Exorcising thoughts of her nightmare from her mind, a concerned Jean went to Cyclops. She gently touched his shoulder. "Scott, are you—_ahh_!" She fell back as a tremor ripped through the place, jarring the rest of the sleepers awake.

"What's with the quakes?!" shouted Spyke.

Avalanche or the Mindcoil: it didn't matter who or what was responsible. All Cyclops knew was this earthquake was seriously major—even the reinforced walls of the Danger Room were showing signs of duress—and they had to get out. "Everyone, move!"

No one, not even the Brotherhood, was going to argue. Running for their lives they filed through the emergency exit that would lead back to the mansion. Cyclops cradled Xavier in his arms and didn't notice how deathly pale he had become. At that moment only one thing mattered: survival.

*** * ***

_I am not going to lose you_, Lance thought to Kitty as another loud sound signaled the immanent collapse of the ceiling. He was losing a lot of blood and it was so hard to focus; however the thought repeated itself again and again. But then a small voice belonging to the one that shielded him from the Mindcoil spoke, telling him about the others that had been ensnared by the beast.

 **They're all right and they're trying to escape, but they need _time_. You have to give them time, Lance.**

_Time_. 

Shutting his eyes, Lance blocked out the pain shooting through every inch of him. Outstretching his hand, still clinging to Kitty, he concentrated on the tremors. He was called Avalanche, _rock-tumbler_ even, and this was what made him a mutant. _Geological manipulation_. There was a place deep inside where he could feel the earth and rock below him. It could loosely be defined as a _connection_, and he had used it often to shake things up and tear the world apart. But—was it possible to do the opposite?

He focused, slowly curling his fingers back. He could feel the earth move; it pounded and pulsed like blood pumping through a vein. His eyes rolled back, turning white, and a low, strained growl could be heard from behind his clenched teeth. There was a dull throb in his temple. Lance swallowed hard and listened to the ground. _Stop. Stop, stop, stop_, he told it, wishing it could hear him. As the rumblings continued he pressed himself harder; the throbbing got worse. It was like the headaches he suffered when his powers first emerged, but in his condition he wasn't able to shrug them off. The more he used his mutant gifts the less it hurt, but in all his time he had never unleashed a force like this, or willed such destruction. Nevertheless, he had to contain it.

Kitty gasped, astounded. Acting as Lance's anchor she witnessed the incredible strain he put himself under to hold back the earthquake; she had never seen him use his powers like that, and was simply stunned that it was working. The results weren't much, but the tremors slowed down with their force diminished, and the floor beneath them became stable ground. Her arm wrapped around Lance's, Kitty allowed herself to smile in relief before making the mistake of looking down. Numb with horror, she was unable to utter a sound. Red liquid was dripping from Lance's wound, collecting in a gruesome puddle underneath his feet. His free hand applied pressure to it, but he was weak, exhausted…and dying. 

"Ugghhhn…!" Lance's teeth tore into his bottom lip as he crumpled forward, unable to stand any longer. The weight was just too much to bear. 

"Lance! Oh god no, Lance!"

_Crying…Kitty's crying_. It registered, but he could hardly hear her. _So tired, and sick of it all_…a crack appeared in the mental dam he had erected to hold back the seismic force, growing in size until the whole thing crumbled at once, sweeping over him.

_I'm sorry…Kitty…_

And the walls came tumbling down.

*** * ***

Underneath the main staircase's balcony, a bloody and broken Mystique stirred. Jarred into consciousness by the tremors, she moaned. The pain was agonizing, but it was proof she still lived, and for that much she was glad. She never paused to think why her hair was frazzled like she had stuck a finger into an electric outlet, or why her upper body was blistered and burned. The mansion was falling down all around her and it was time to leave. 

A large raven took to the air, its wings flapping frantically as it flew out the gargantuan hole in the mansion's wall and into the early morning horizon. Injured, it did not soar very far, and eventually made a harsh landing on the forest floor. The metamorph's control slipped, and the raven reverted back to its true shape. Mystique took long, heavy breaths while she tried to steady herself and shake off the sting of her wounds. She bit her lower lip till it bled.

_Rogue turned on me_, she thought bitterly, reflecting on her devastating tumble. _After everything I did for her. Ungrateful little wretch! Couldn't she see that everything I did was for her? Her…and her brother? They wouldn't have had to live in fear, cowering in the shadows and hiding who they really are. Not like me. They…would have been free! If only I had gotten the Mindcoil_!

_The Mindcoil_! Mystique's thoughts took a sharp new turn._ This is not at all what Irene promised me. _

On that thought there was a rustling in the foliage somewhere behind her, barely audible over the distant rumblings from the Xavier mansion. She was no longer alone. With a snarl she rose to her feet and bolted in the opposite direction. One of her arms was broken and hung limp at her side, but luckily her legs were still in working condition. She picked up her pace, pushing herself as hard as she could, but still she could hear it behind her, closing in like a predator. She threw her head back to hopefully catch a glimpse of her pursuer, but carelessly slammed into something very hard right in front of her. Mystique fell.

Wolverine took a menacing step forward and raised a balled fist. Three long adamantiam claws were released from their sheaths. _Snikt_!

"Well, well, well. Fancy meeting _you_ here."

*** * ***

It was over quickly. When the ceiling of the Mindcoil's chamber collapsed it was crushed; glass shards, orange liquid, and gray matter jelly covering the floor only to be buried under brick and metal. 

Before it died, the Mindcoil screamed. No one could hear it of course, except for Xavier, who remained with it until the very last moments. The body was gone, the final door slammed shut in its face, and it was lost in its own inner darkness. Lost…it had lost. It was all over now…right?

"_Augh—auuughh_!" Professor Xavier gnashed his teeth, squirming, flailing his arms, and finally went totally limp. Cyclops stopped short when his mentor seemingly came back to life, only to become frightened again when he stopped moving. At that moment part of the northern wing of the mansion gave way, and there was a terrible noise as it did. The people huddling behind Cyclops made several alarmed cries as they reached the end of the line. They made it to the surface.

"The whole place is coming down!" Boom-Boom shrieked, leaning against the wall for support.

"Jean!"

"I'm on it, Storm!" the girl responded, bringing her hands to her temple and shielding them all under a protective bubble as they hurried down the hall to reach the doors. She hissed under the strain. "I don't know how long I can hold it!" As if on cue the roof over their heads groaned and buckled. Rubble rained down on the shield. 

"Just keep moving!" Cyclops roared over all the commotion. They were almost at the door, come on, come on, they could make it…

"Ahh!" Jean wailed. The weight atop her telekinetic bubble was too great; she was slipping.

Nightcrawler loaned his shoulder to the hobbling Boom-Boom and cried out, "Cyclops, ve're not going to--"

"Don't even say that!" his leader shouted. "Just go!"

Nightcrawler was shocked. Rogue looked at him, disbelief in her eyes. Seeing this Cyclops pushed her toward the fuzzy one, taking her by surprise. "I said _go_!"

"Scott!" The rest of Rogue's voice was lost in a cloud of sulfur as Nightcrawler and the two girls vanished. 

Meanwhile Blob was staring at Jean, silently marveling at her strength and power to protect them from being crushed. He saw how she hurt under the pressure. Taking Quicksilver from Spyke and hoisting the skinny mutant over his shoulder, he pointed a finger at his chest and laughed, "Relax, lady, you don't gotta worry about us."

Toad did a double take. "Us? What do you—_aiiiiiiiieee_!" He was scooped up in his big friend's arms and covered by his body as he ran forward, blocking the falling debris with his hands. They crashed through the wall, joining Nightcrawler, Boom-Boom, and Rogue on the other side. 

A giant chunk of the upper floor crashed down, blocking off the exit to the five remaining mutants. There was now a gaping hole in the shaking mansion, and it was the only remaining hope of escape they had.

Storm locked arms with her nephew and flew, manipulating the currents to carry them both. Jean, Cyclops, and the Professor were last. The redhead followed Storm's lead and took to the air, levitating the two with her. 

"Jean, you can't! You don't have the strength for this!" Cyclops protested. He didn't want to see her harmed—he could blast their way out if worst came to worst. Their eyes locked, her green orbs glimmering with her usual spark. 

"No arguments, Mr. Summers."

Far away at the gates, Nightcrawler couldn't take his eyes off the mansion. The north wing was almost gone, having started to fall under the Mindcoil's power, with the east wing damaged as well. The light was harsh and little could be seen in the blue early morning mist, but the black silhouette that had been the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters was almost half-decimated. "Our home," he whispered under his breath.

Storm and Spyke landed safely moments later, with Jean bringing up the rear, Xavier and Cyclops in tow. The mansion seemed to hold on long enough for them to make it—in fact, for a few precious moments the tremors seemed to stop altogether—but then they returned in full force, the north wing buckling under the stress and falling to the earth, the east wing hanging together by a precious thread. 

Jean tumbled to the ground, landing on her hands and knees and taking deep, heavy breaths. Saving the three of them had been harder work than she imagined. 

Tired with standing in the sidelines Rogue moved toward Cyclops, hoping to catch his eye and talk with him. She had barely spoken the first syllable of his name when he hurried to Jean's side, helping her up and brushing the hair from her face.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

She flashed a smile that was tired, but no less dazzling than her usual fare. "Oh…yes." Jean rested against him for several more moments.

"Storm!"

The weather witch turned sharply at the call, eyes widening as she spied the familiar face emerging from the depths of the woods. "Wolverine!"

He joined the haggard group, patting the elf's shoulder when he ran up to him.

"Vhere vere you, Mr. Logan?" he asked. "Ze Professor didn't say."

"When Charles and I returned he sensed something was wrong. Something about the Mindcoil and a trap waiting for us. He told me to pull back and wait for his call if he needed backup, but it never came." He shook his head and sized up the crowd. "What I miss?"

Storm frowned. "Magneto, Mystique, and the Brotherhood attacked us during the night. The Professor's old friend tried to unleash a weapon he had in his keeping, and in truth, I'm not entirely sure what happened after that. All I know is that we were fortunate to survive. Others…were not."

Spyke interrupted the conversation. "Yo, Wolverine, what's with your costume? It's all torn up and bloody."

Wolverine unconsciously touched a spot on his chest where he had been scratched. The deep wound had since healed, but bloody residue remained on his skin. "Oh, that. A wild animal did it." His smirk soon faded. He eyed Toad, Boom-Boom, Blob, and Rogue, the remnants of the Brotherhood of Mutants, who were huddling together under the trees. Boom-Boom returned his harsh glare, not at all impressed. "And what about these guys right here? We take 'em prisoner, or something?" He unsheathed a claw, making Toad jump. 

"No, Wolverine," Storm said softly, touching his gloved hand. "I don't think we have anything to fear from them."

Wolverine shrugged. Sure, he could accept that, even if he didn't like it. They all looked like a bunch of scared kids, anyway. But then he asked, "So where're the half-pint and Rocky?"

Storm looked away. There was an uncomfortable pause until Cyclops managed, "They didn't make it."

"_What_?"

"Don't talk like zhat!" Nightcrawler yelled. "Kitty could phase zhem zhrough zhis, no problem!" 

"Yeah," Cyclops said with a heavy heart, "If they survived the Mindcoil."

Spyke turned to face the deteriorating mansion. By that time the tremors had almost stopped completely, becoming little more than a faint rumbling. "Do you really think they bought it?" 

Swallowing a lump in his throat, Cyclops answered, "They fell behind…we have no idea what else could have happened back there. For all we know, Avalanche caused that quake."

"Who knows, you may be right," said Wolverine, arms crossed over his chest, "But standing here talking about what might have happened ain't gonna help those two, is it?"

Nightcrawler joined in. "Right! Ve have to back zhere and see if ve can find zhem!" 

Cyclops was torn. He wanted to find the two missing mutants, but the demolished mansion was still shaky and unstable. He couldn't let his teammates put their lives on the line, but could he condemn Kitty or Lance? He sighed. There wasn't any choice. "All right, we better move then and see what we can excavate." 

At that moment Jean cried out, "Something's alive down there!"

Many faces turned and stared. "Is it Lance and Kitty? Or the Mindcoil?" questioned Cyclops.

She shook her head, obviously suffering. "I pushed myself too far. Can't concentrate on the mental readings…they're injured…blood…"

It didn't matter that her reading was incomplete; moments later the whole group was shuffling and searching among the wreckage trying to pinpoint the possible survivors. Teleporting from point to point, Nightcrawler scoured the area looking for signs of life amid the rubble of the partially destroyed mansion. Rogue gave Blob a tiny tap and used his strength to lift wooden planks and chunks of the walls. Jean hovered overhead, her powers searching for the exact location of where the life form was buried. 

"Man, this is hopeless, yo," Toad muttered. "Face it, folks, Rocky and his pretty kitty got squashed."

"Oh, shut up." Boom-Boom slapped him upside the head. 

Standing alone atop a hunk of concrete, Wolverine utilized his heightened senses to try and find the teens. His eyes and nose didn't help, but his ears caught a faint rustling several yards away, under what was left of the north wing.

Jean picked it up moments later. "Oh my god."

Kitty Pryde puffed and panted as she emerged from the destruction, paying no attention to the rubble that had at one point been her home. She filled her lungs with the fresh morning air, relieved at being alive and able to feel the breeze on her face. Slowly she opened her eyes, gazing around at the astonished faces of those who had been searching for her, smiling at the first rays of a sunlight she was not sure she'd live to see. She phased the rest of her body through the ground, bringing attention to her ripped shirt soaked with crimson. As the others rushed to her Lance's body was revealed to be in her arms, head hanging back, unmoving, with Kitty's pink sweater tightly wound around his waist in a last desperate attempt at preventing more blood loss.

Oblivious to the friends gathering around her, murmuring and covering their mouths in shock, Kitty brushed a strand of brown hair from his face. His skin was cold. "Lance…? You did it; everyone's _okay_. Oh please, please wake up…no…!"

Darkness.

_Is this another nightmare?_

_ Or is it a dream?_

**Wake up.**

**Lance, it's time for you to go.**

_ …choice c…none of the above_.

A slight movement, a twitch of a finger, a flicker of an eyelid, and then it happened.

Lance woke up.

Kitty's face was before him, beautiful, glowing. A tear fell from her eye onto his cheek. "You're alive!" she cried.

"Yeah," he whispered in some disbelief, "I am."

*** * ***

Destiny sat quietly in the living room of the Brotherhood of Bayville Boarding House, cane in hand and a frown on her face. Without warning she reeled forward as her mind was assaulted by a powerful vision. On the couch opposite her was Mastermind, and he watched her with rapt interest. 

"It's…over," said Destiny slowly. "The Mindcoil has been destroyed."

Mastermind gasped. "Destroyed? So then Mystique's mission _failed_?"

She nodded.

"But—you foretold that she would take the Mindcoil for herself and kill the X-Men! Was your prophecy incorrect?"

"No. My prophecy _was_ correct. What I told Raven was a lie."

Mastermind's eyes narrowed. This woman was strange, to be sure. First she ordered him to alter the minds of those two teenagers who teleported inside the house to retrieve the Pryde girl so they would not be seen, and now she spoke of prophecies and lies. Could he believe _anything_ she said?

"I thought Mystique was your friend. Your actions don't speak well of you."

"Raven _is_ my friend," Destiny insisted. "But I foresaw that I would lie to her. Sadly, it is as simple as that."

"You certainly don't _sound_ very sad, Destiny."

"Rogue will be safe and happy, so I have no regrets. And in the end, everything went according to plan."

"Plan?!" spat Mastermind angrily. "The mission failed! The Mindcoil was destroyed, Mystique's out of action, and those lunatics she called the Brotherhood are probably cavorting with the X-Men as we speak! What kind of plan do you _call_ this?"

"The Mindcoil may have been destroyed, but it took with it the mind of Magneto's greatest opponent. Everything happens for a reason, Mastermind, though those reasons are not always clear to us in the beginning. The last mind the Mindcoil touched was that of the rock-tumbler, Avalanche. And while he will not know the extent of it for some time, it touched him in a very special way. It opened a door inside him. And now, lurking within the depths of that boy's consciousness, there lies a power greater than destruction. The power to _create_." Her words hung in the air for several moments, and then, before her befuddled companion could muster a response, she stood. "Come on. It's time to go."

The precognitive opened the front door, and stepped out into the early morning air. While she could not see the two gigantic spheres made of glimmering metal, she knew they were there. Mastermind followed her out onto the porch and saw the spheres for himself. 

"It isn't the end, is it?" he asked wearily.

"Of course not," said Destiny as she approached one and stepped inside the opening. It closed around her as she added, "Nothing ever ends."

No more words were exchanged. In fact, the only sounds in that still morning were of two metal orbs rising into the air and disappearing over the bloody red horizon. 

* * * * * * * * * * * 

To Be Concluded…

* * * * * * * * * * *

**Author's Notes**: Sorry for the wait, please accept this double-sized chapter as thanks for your patience. ^_^ A quick note: a couple of the previous chapters have been slightly edited to clarify some things about the Mindcoil. Thanks for reading, everyone! ~Sandoz

**Next Chapter**: The X-Men begin the hard task of rebuilding their lives after the devastating battle with the Mindcoil. Tempers run high and feelings are brought into the open, not all of them good. In light of disturbing revelations about the Professor and what he hid from them, Scott struggles with his beliefs as well as his conflicting thoughts for Rogue and Jean. Lance lies in recovery, but the after affects of his brainwashing and confrontation with the Mindcoil torment him. When Kitty tries to comfort him, will he confide in her or simply push her away?


	16. Aftershocks

**Chapter 16: Aftershocks**

_"Are there ever times when you just want to get away from. . .everything?"_

_"Hmm?" _

_"Things have been so screwed up lately, with Jean and Scott constantly on my back, the Brotherhood after my hide, and now my old pals trying to kill me, I don't really feel like being a part of Xavier's great 'cause.' It hardly seems worth it anymore."_

_"You want to live a normal life."_

_"I want to live with you without the Queen of Mean breathing down our necks or enemy mutants trying to kick our ass. I just want…to get away."_

_"It would be nice. . ."_

_"Run away with me."_

_"Lance, we can't. We belong at the Institute. We're needed there."_

_"Then, when this 'war' is finally over. . .will you go away with me? To a place that's just ours?"_

_"Yes."_

*** * ***

Lance knew it was only a dream, but he didn't mind; the fantasy was much more pleasant than his current reality, and this was heaven compared to some of the nightmares he had. 

 He was in his bed, his _real_ one, not the uncomfortable cot in the clinic, and his wounds were freshly healed. His skin was very tender, as Kitty noted while on top of him. She kissed his face in the dim lamplight as his hands roamed her body, caressing the skin under her white blouse. So soft and smooth. His own shirt was lying on the floor by his sneakers with more clothes soon to follow, but at the moment the two were simply enjoying the pleasures of foreplay. 

"Mmmm." Lance smiled as her lips moved down his neck. He ran his fingers through her hair, pulling out its tie, and it fell down her back in one dark wave. Kitty giggled and sat up, straddling him. He reached for one of the buttons on her blouse, but she playfully stuck out her tongue and pushed his hands down.

"Not yet," she teased. 

"Don't make me wait much longer," he whispered hungrily. "I need you."

 "I know."

They resumed kissing, the bed creaking with their movements. They were being careless; anyone could hear them or walk in (it would probably turn Jean's hair white, Lance laughed inwardly) but they didn't care. They were young and alive, and they were going to savor this. 

Their positions switched with Lance atop Kitty. He was moving lower, giving her a very passionate love bite.

Her lips moved to his ear. "Love you."

Something happened. He pulled away sharply; sliding his hands down her neck he proceeded to violently choke her. 

"_Liar!_" 

She gasped and sputtered, thrashing to no avail as he had her whole body pinned down. As his hands clamped down on her windpipe her face changed, Kitty's blue eyes flashing white, skin turning indigo, and her hair becoming a dark red, the color of blood. Now it was Mystique writhing underneath him helplessly. He showed her no mercy. 

Mystique's face flushed a sickly purple from blood congestion, and she turned into Kitty again, then became herself—Kitty, Mystique, Kitty, and back again, the effect like a light switch flickering on and off repeatedly, and then there was a _snap_—

"_Ah_."

Lance lay alone in the unlit hospital room, his long hair sticking to the cold sweat dripping down the back of his neck. Panting, he closed his eyes and shuddered. 

"Not again."

*** * ***

A large black van pulled up to the front gate of the stately Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters, rolling down its window to allow the driver to stick his palm against the scanner. It approved him and the iron gates parted, letting the van on the grounds. It was a cloudless, moderately cold day, and the Xavier mansion stood tall and beautiful on its hillside. It was only when the vehicle drove close that it was revealed to be a hologram, nothing more. The mansion still lay in partial ruin.

"Home sveet hole in ze ground," Kurt Wagner murmured from the passenger seat. 

Several minutes later he and Scott Summers were carried down the secret elevator hidden in the fountain and deposited in one of the passageways hidden below the school grounds. An interlocking series of chambers and halls had become the makeshift home of the X-Men and Brotherhood in the many days following the battle with the Mindcoil. The reinforced metal walls were cold, uninviting, and a poor substitute for the warm security of the mansion, but they made do.

Like most of the rooms, the kitchen/dining hall was a sterile environment offset only by the presence of a pink-and-white checkered tablecloth and a vase brimming with daisies. Several relieved faces greeted the pair when they entered with arms (and a tail) carrying grocery bags.

"My heroes!" Jean proclaimed.

Carefully balancing the bags, Scott rifled through one. "Ah, let's see. Here we have sushi," he handed the container to Jean, "herbal tea," he passed to Ororo, "_green_ tea and hush puppies," Rogue flashed a thankful smile, "beef jerky," Logan accepted it with a grunt, "pop rocks," Tabitha grinned and ripped open the bag, "ham sandwich," Freddy's mouth watered as he snatched it, "tacos," Evan cheered, "and garden salad," he finished by passing it to Kitty.

"Where's mine?" Todd wanted to know.

"We went to a grocery store, not a bait shop."

"Get everything else on the list?" asked Logan. "You two sure took a while."

Kurt sat beside Tabitha at the end of the long table and answered, "Ve didn't run into any problems. I zhink ve have enough food now to last us to next year. But Scott, ehhh…"

Having set down the groceries, Scott lifted the huge red tote bag hanging off his shoulder and unzipped it. Textbooks, pens, papers and other similar things fell out. "I stopped by school and picked up all our homework."

A mighty, collective groan was heard. 

"Cyke, man, you're _killin_' us," Evan whined.

"Totally," Kitty added glumly.

"I think that was very responsible of you." Jean smiled.

"Vice Principal Kelly was willing to let all of our absences slide as long as we get it all done," Scott said. "Remember, he thinks we're sick with the flu."

"Wish I was," muttered Tabitha.

"No arguments, people. Come on," Scott sat down between Rogue and Jean, "let's eat."

They did, with relish. Only Kitty held back from taking part in her meal, looking down at the plastic salad container with a small frown. "Hey Scott, did you get the spaghetti?"

Swallowing part of his hamburger, the boy held up a finger and quickly rummaged through one of the bags on the counter. "With meatballs? Yeah, here." He handed it to her. "Need any help?"

"No, it'll be fine," Kitty shook her head, standing up. "I'm sure Lance will appreciate it."

As Kitty faded from view down the hall, Rogue thought about Scott's trip to school and a frown darkened her face. Her heart was heavy with secret knowledge. Leaning close to Scott, she said in his ear, "Hey…there's something I have to tell you after dinner."

*** * ***

Sitting upright in his hospital bed, Lance Alvers wore an uninterested expression as he pressed the remote, gazing at the different station for a few seconds before stabbing the button yet again. To help pass the time Scott had wheeled a small television set into the underground base's clinic, and he put it to good use. But after hours every day planted in front of the boob tube he was now bored enough to scream.

Lance was alone a lot of the time. Sure, there was a camera watching him and two other patients were still technically in the clinic, but he had very little in the way of human interaction. He knew they were excavating the remains of the Institute, salvaging what was left and assessing the damage; they had their hands full, but it was irritating all the same to be helpless and locked up in a hospital bed, out of the way. 

Kitty visited him whenever she could, mostly by herself. Everyone else came in groups, Scott always with a supportive smile, knowing him well enough not to give a pity party, and Kurt trying to lighten the mood with a couple lame jokes. Whenever Evan joined them he rarely spoke and stared at Lance with some reproach. Ororo apologized once, saying that her nephew never did do well in hospitals, but he had heard that Evan's was one of the rooms totally destroyed, and as a result held a bit of a grudge. The rest of his housemates had only come in once or twice in the last week, if at all, which suited him fine. 

The channel was on some nature show about mating rituals when the clinic door opened. Kitty entered with a dinner cart. "Hi," she greeted, pushing it to his bed and then placing a glass of water and a bowl of reheated spaghetti and meatballs on his tray. 

"Hey," he said quietly. 

She sat on the chair beside him and placed her salad container in her lap. She glanced at the muted television. "Anything good on?"

"No."

He was careful not to move too much as he picked up the plastic spork with his good hand and dug in. It was hot and burned his tongue. 

Kitty swallowed a bite of her meal. "So, ah, Ms. MacTaggert—you know, the Professor's old associate, the one from Scotland—she'll be here by the end of the week. Mr. Logan says she'll help the reconstruction efforts."

"Mmm." Mouth full of hot tomato sauce and meatball, he nodded. 

"It'll be great to have the mansion back again, won't it? Living down here makes me feel like a mole."

"Hmm."

She added wistfully, "I bet you'll be glad to sleep in your own bed again."

An image from that previous night's dream flashed in his mind's eye; shaken, Lance dropped the spork onto the faded gray covers. Kitty reached for it the same instant he did, and their fingers brushed. It was nothing at all, but the contact made Lance recoil as if she had struck him. The sudden jerk aggravated his wounds; pain shot through his arm, sharp like several needle pricks. "Augh!"

She gasped. "Are you all right?"

He banged his fist against his tray, spilling the glass of water. "I'm _fine_, goddammit!"

Kitty stiffened, her eyes betraying her emotions. Biting her lower lip to keep it from trembling, she grabbed her salad and said, "Okay. Sure. My mistake. I won't disturb your dinner." And she was gone with a slam of the door. 

The sound echoed in Lance's ears, forming a pit in his stomach. Miserable, he rubbed his eyelids with the back of his hand, wiping away the moisture. 

*** * ***

"I don't believe it," said Scott, pacing around the makeshift common room. "Mystique—and Principal Darkholme—were the same person the _whole time_?!"

Sitting on an old green couch, Rogue pulled her knees up to her chest and nodded.

"It's true, Scott," Ororo affirmed, brushing a stray white hair behind an ear. "Logan and I knew of it for some time."

"And you didn't tell us?" Kurt was aghast. 

"The Professor didn't want us to. He thought it would be better for all if it were to remain a secret."

"What, it's not like we were gonna attack her or anything stupid like that." Evan threw up his hands from where he sat on the arm of the couch. "She wanted to pretend nothin' was goin' on, so could we."

Kitty, who had been oddly silent ever since joining the meeting, added, "It's like we were playing with fire and didn't even know it."

Logan shuffled his feet, leaning against the wall and putting his hands in his pockets. "That's a good point. Still, Charles was only worried about you."

"Worried?!" Scott challenged, his brows knitted. "If he was worried, shouldn't he have told us? She was one of our worst enemies and we were left in the dark!"

Jean stepped forward and tried to counsel him. "Scott, calm down. Getting upset won't change anything, and it's not as if we have to worry about Mystique anymore."

He sighed heavily. "I _know_, but I'm fed up with this! The Mindcoil, Mystique…the Professor's secrets could have gotten us all killed!"

"This is hard on you, Cyke," Logan spoke up again, "but you gotta face facts: there are some things you kids are ready for, and some you're not. Professor X probably had a little difficulty deciding which was which."

Outside the common room stood Tabitha Smith. She lingered by the door, not really meaning to eavesdrop, but uncertain of entering. She jumped back in surprise when Kitty phased through it.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she cried, embarrassed.

"Uh, no, it was my fault," Tabitha shook her head, feeling awkward.

"What are you doing back here?" 

"Not listening in or anything. I'm not going to intrude on one of your secret meetings."

Kitty chuckled despite her low spirits; she made it sound like something out of _Mission: Impossible_. "They're hardly secret, and, like, no one would care if you hung out."

Tabitha raised an eyebrow. "Really? I _am_ technically one of the bad guys, right? I know Badger or whatever his name is doesn't really like us being here."

"Mr. Logan will get over it. Besides, Rogue's in there."

Tabitha put a hand on her hip. "Yeah, well she saved One-Eye from Ms. Tall Blue and Gruesome. That's gotta win her some brownie points."

Kitty folded her arms over her chest. "Oh yeah, and what about you? Without your help Kurt would never have found me. I don't think you're a bad guy at all." She smiled. "Here, we're like a big family. And we _are_ open for new membership. So don't be shy, you know? Later." Kitty waved, heading back down the narrow hallway to her barracks.

Tabitha shrugged. _Why not_? She turned to open the door when it flew open inches from her face, and she stood right in front Logan. He narrowed his eyes at her.

"Hi!" she waved her fingers, giving him a toothy, if somewhat nervous, grin. 

"Hurmph," was all he said brushing past her. With a relieved sigh, she walked in. 

Logan caught up with Kitty not long later. She had left early, and he sensed something off about her. "Hey Half-Pint, you feelin' all right?" 

She offered a weak smile. "Yeah, of course." She seemed to have lost the brightness she had talking with Tabitha, and there was sadness hidden behind her eyes. 

"Come on, spill it."

"I'm okay, Mr. Logan, really. I'm just tired, and a little sick of living in these walls." She frowned, glancing at her bare surroundings. 

Cutting straight to the chase, he asked her, "It's Lance, isn't it?"

Her eyes grew wide. "Why would you think that?"

"Because you get like this every time you see him."

Suddenly upset, a scowl spread across her face. "How am I _supposed _to feel? He almost died! It hurts seeing him like that, covered in bandages and barely able to move…and then there's what the Mindcoil did to him--"

"What _did_ it do?"

Kitty's angry expression disappeared. Closing her eyes and shaking her head, she sighed. "I don't know. He hasn't told me. He won't _talk_ to me." Her emotions overtook her as tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. "It hurts."

Logan put his hand on Kitty's shoulder, offering what little support he could. Neither of them took notice of Jean Grey in the hall entrance, watching them with an unreadable expression on her countenance.

*** * ***

It was later that night Kurt and Tabitha decided to take a stroll. It felt good to be aboveground, able to feel the cool breeze on their faces and gaze at the glittering stars overhead. Kurt had his image-inducer off, and his blue fur made him almost invisible in the dark. Tabitha strode beside him, crossing her arms over her body.

"So Mystique's _really_ gone."

"Zhat's vhat Logan said."

"Heh. I'm glad."

Kurt paused before adding, "I suppose you would be." There wasn't any disapproval in his voice. She had told tales of Mystique's cruelty to her charges, and those true accounts were pretty much responsible for the Brotherhood being able to crash with the X-Geeks—Logan otherwise wouldn't have had any sympathy for those who had stood by and let Mastermind brainwash Lance, or helped in Magneto's attack on the mansion. 

"Like I said before, we really didn't have a choice."

"I still don't believe zhat."

Tabitha scowled. "Mystique was my only way out, Blue. Without her I don't know where I'd be, or if I'd even be alive right now."

He froze in mid-step, turning to look at her. "Vas?"

She sighed. Could she really tell him? Would it make any difference? 

"My mom and I were running from my dad. He was a crook, and he used us for anything he could. He'd hit her sometimes. You know, typical asshole father bullshit like that. And he had some real creepy friends." She shuddered involuntarily as unpleasant memories came back to her. "When I got my powers, he stopped seeing me as his kid and instead I was his new cash cow. He had me blow open safes, payphones, crap like that. Mom got scared that one day something would happen to me. So we bailed. He eventually found us…and I tried to make sure he never hurt us again." Silent for a long time, she didn't elaborate further. "I was scared of the police. I was ready to run again when Mystique contacted us and said she could hide and protect me, and that I'd be with my own kind. It smelled kinda fishy, but what choice did I have, you know? So yeah. Here I am." She shrugged and ran her fingers through her hair almost self-consciously.

Kurt was almost at a loss for words. There must have been something for him to say, but all he could muster up felt trite. "I'm sorry to hear about that. Really."

She shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure I don't have to give you a story about a screwed-up childhood. I mean, with _your_ mom and all…"

"Vhat about her? I had great foster parents. Zhey took care of me and loved me, vhen some of my family members vould have just sold me to ze circus, or vorse. It vas hard growing up like zhis," he held up one blue, three-fingered hand, "but I made do."

Tabitha was confused. "And your birth mom…"

"Dead," Kurt finished sadly. "My foster parents found me in her arms."

Tabitha drew in a small breath. _He doesn't know_! _Could I tell him? _Should_ I? Would he even believe me_? _'Hey, sorry for not mentioning this earlier but Mystique actually gave birth to you. Small world, huh?' Oh, no fucking way_…

"Vell," Kurt spoke up, "zhanks for telling me."

She leaned against him, pushing away thoughts of Mystique. "Mmm hmm." 

"I…like talking to you."

"Yeah. This is nice."

"It's kind of a shame, isn't it? All zhat time our teams fought, vhen ve could have…" His voice trailed off as he looked at her. 

"What?"

"Been doing somezhing else." Swallowing his nervousness, he leaned down and gently kissed her forehead. He was blushing.

Tabitha grinned and wrapped her arm around his. "It can't be helped, especially when we got off on such a wrong foot."

There was a playful gleam in Kurt's eye. "Should we start over?"

"Sure." 

Grinning, he bowed theatrically and waved his tail for her to shake. "Kurt Vagner, at your service."

Tabitha suppressed a short laugh. "I'm Tabitha Smith. Pleased ta meet ya."

"Ze pleasure is all mine."

*** * ***

There was just something about hospitals he didn't like. Maybe it was the washed-out walls, the clinical smell, or the steady beeping of machines…the feeling of the place touched upon memories beneath the surface of his consciousness, reminding him of a clinic that might as well have been a butcher shop, and what had befallen him there.

Logan gazed at Charles Xavier. Dressed in his pajamas with blankets covering his chest, he looked like he would wake up from his slumber any moment. But this was an underground emergency clinic, not his bedroom, and he was in a coma. Had been ever since the mansion went down taking the Mindcoil with it. Jean had tried to reach him several times by pushing her underdeveloped abilities to the limit, to no avail.

"It's…almost like he's lost. Physically, he's fine. He's not brain dead…but his consciousness is somewhere else. It's almost as if his spirit has left his body completely. The Mindcoil was actually his cloned brain and possessed all of his abilities. Maybe they were both connected in some way, and when one left, so did the other…or perhaps he chose to stay with it, fight it on the psychic plane, and make sure it never returned…"

It was all speculation, of course. Only one person knew what had really happened, and as it was, he was comatose. 

"The kids are going to be just fine, Charles," he said. "Cyke's a born leader, just like you said. He found out about the Mindcoil, Mystique, and everything else by the way. He doesn't know why you did it. Something about trust and betrayal always sticks with ya, I know that much. When you're through paying your penance, I think you're gonna have a long chat with him."

*** * ***

Lance had been awake for over an hour, the red digits on the alarm clock by his bed telling him the awful time, but he lay inert, face buried in a pillow. It had been another rough night, and he finally stopped shaking.

His tranquility ended when someone entered the room from the adjacent clinic where the Professor was, the heavy booted footsteps automatically exposing the intruder's identity. Lance remained still. Logan would shuffle out in a few moments without a word, and he would be left alone. But that was not what the stocky Canadian planned on doing.

He took a chair and spun it around to face the bed. Crossing his arms over the back of it, he stared at the boy before announcing his presence. "Your breathing's givin' you away," he remarked.

Lance stiffened, and with a small groan he turned over on his side. "What is it?" he asked. Something was up; this was no social call.

"Just thought a little dialogue might be in order."

"All right…"

There was a pause before Logan made conversation. "Kitty's been having a rough time lately."

With a roll of his eyes and body, Lance turned his back to his guest. His comment was an uncharitable, "_Everyone's_ having a rough time."

"So, you don't love her anymore."

Despite the pain it caused him, Lance shot up, livid. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"She tries to help and you push her away. You don't speak to her. It'd probably be better for both of you if you just tell Half-Pint the truth now."

Logan had always been one of the few people who actually intimidated Lance, but at this point he could care less about how scary he was. "Where do you get off saying that? _Of course_ I love her!"

His tone rose. "So you slap her hand away when she touches you?"

Lance slammed his fist against his bed, hair falling into his eyes. "You don't understand! How can I look at her or touch her after what I did?"

"Which was?"

The rock-tumbler snapped, "I tried to kill her! I fucked Mystique, thinking it was her! Kitty comes in, and I see myself wrapping my hands around her throat, or I imagine screwing her, and she turns blue—sometimes both!" Now his eyes were moist, and he looked at Logan as he clenched his fists over his thighs. "I close my eyes and I relive what the Mindcoil showed me. I hurt Kitty, attack Summers, and do _terrible_ things…and part of me enjoys it! So don't tell me how I feel! I _know_ how I feel! If I hurt her again--"

Logan snorted. "You _have_."

"But it's better _this_ way. I know it is. Until I can figure myself out she's better off just staying the hell away from me."

Logan pressed his lips together, slowly shaking his head. "Let _Kitty_ decide what's best for her. She almost lost you once; to be close to losing you again must be killing her. This ain't the time to be selfish."

_Selfish? _That bastard.

Logan continued as if he could read his mind. "You said it yourself, everyone's havin' a rough time. You think you're the only one who nearly kicked it? You think you're the only one who got hurt? You're _not_ the only one who lost things, Rocky, so don't you dare give that girl any more grief than she deserves."

Again Lance spat, "You don't understand." Unable to meet Logan's stern gaze any longer, he buried his head between his knees. Christ, why did it all have to spill out now, in front of _him_ of all people? He couldn't hold his feelings back any longer, and started to mutter, his emotions nearly making him incoherent. "Kitty looks at me, and I see how much she loves me, that she'd do anything for me, and I know deep inside I don't deserve a damn bit of it. I was twisted so fucking _easily_, beaten, brainwashed, shown a life I never led…I remember it all! So much of it—eating me alive! I _lied_ to her! And Kitty—she-- loves me! I lied to her…and still she…_why_?"

For what felt like a long time, the only sound in the room belonged to the ceiling fan whirring overhead.

"I don't know, Rocky. That's between the two of you. But," Logan sighed, "I do know what it's like when things don't make sense in your head…when your own memories can't be trusted. God knows it's hard, but you tough it out 'cause you still got your future. You're lucky to have someone next to you, willing to be with you every step of the way. It's not something you really wanna throw away." It was strange to hear those words come out of Logan's mouth. He made it sound like he really did know what Lance was going through, but how could he?

_And there's something else, too. You were with the Professor when he went and got that…thing. Did you know? Did you have any idea what it was, or what it was going to do to us_?

"Just…leave me alone." His head still between his knees, the boy paid no attention to his guest as he stood up from his chair and crossed the room. 

"Think about what I said." Ah, now that was the Logan he knew, gruff as always; he half-expected an "or else" to be attached to it. The door closed behind him.

After his departure Lance lay back, trying to forget. Oh, man. It hurt so much. Perhaps Logan was right; still, he couldn't trust himself near Kitty. Couldn't get close to her…why was he doing this to himself? To her? Was there any reason behind it save his fear? He was so fucking stupid.

He drifted back to a memory. Pictures played themselves behind his eyelids; black and white zigzags lining the room's floor, red curtains swaying all around him. It wasn't real, the rational part of his brain told him. The Mindcoil could never hurt him in that place again. So why then did he feel so strange, like he wasn't alone in his head anymore? Something was snooping around. He felt the touch of a telepath, light as a feather.

Lance opened his eyes a bit. The red curtains were still there. No, not curtains, but hair; long red locks framing a face he knew all too well. He hadn't heard her enter.

"_Don't--_"

*** * ***

In the barracks she shared with Rogue and Tabitha, Kitty lay atop the army cot that functioned as her bed, sprawled out on the course blankets nestled between Lockheed and Lancelot (both of whom had miraculously survived the destruction, with the dragon's missing plastic eye the only injury). On her pillow was a cheap romance paperback from the grocery store, and she closed it, no longer interested in the risqué tale of Desiree and Rafael. 

_I miss him_, she thought. She missed his presence, the feeling of his arms around her, protecting her; she missed the way he messed up his hair with his hands, letting it fall in his eyes; she missed his laughter and his smile. It had been so long since she last saw him smile.

_I need to have patience. Lance wouldn't talk about what exactly happened inside his mind back there, but we know it was different from what it did to everyone else_. She bit her lower lip as her own specially made nightmare came to mind. _It…showed him things_. _And then there's Mastermind's brainwashing to consider. Like, it's really no wonder Lance isn't himself right now. I can't imagine what he's feeling_.

_But how can he get any better if he closes himself off? I can see him keeping his mouth shut to Scott and Jean, but_ me? _After everything we went through together, even almost dying right next to each other, he won't open up_. _He just pushes me away every time_. _Why, why, why_? She pounded her pillow in frustration. _I love you…but how much more do you expect me to take_?

After a good, long cry, Kitty glanced at her watch. Almost time for Lance's lunch. She collected herself and washed her face in the restroom (_God, I'm such a crybaby, _she thought, feeling pathetic and not at all like herself) before going to the kitchen. When Ororo greeted her she said hi as if nothing was bothering her. This was between her and her boyfriend. No need to make anyone else concerned. There was already so much to worry about.

With his meal on the cart she pushed, Kitty steeled herself for another trying encounter when she noticed the door that Lance requested always be kept shut was wide open. Peeking inside the infirmary, she gasped. "_What are you doing_?!"

Jean was at his bedside, alone, one hand pressed against his temple with her eyes closed. Startled by Kitty's cry, her concentration broke. No mistaking it, she had been using her powers on Lance, who was still and silent. "Kitty! I--"

"What were you doing to him?!" the girl shrieked again. "Hasn't his mind been messed with enough?!"  
  


"I wasn't trying to hurt him!" Jean raised her hands, pleading. "I was trying to _help_."

Kitty's face flushed with anger. "Oh yeah right! _You_ help a hood like _him_?" Her tone dangerous, she pointed to the door. "Get out!"

Jean stood in place and took a deep, calming breath. "I suppose I deserve that."

"You're not welcome here, Jean. Leave right now, or I swear…"

"Please, listen to what I have to say for just a moment!" She appeared desperate, guilty. "I didn't mean to scare you or worry you. What I said was the truth. I was just trying to help Lance."

Kitty scowled, not believing a word of it.

"I know now I was wrong. If not for you and Lance, we all would have been killed. I blame myself for all this; I was so sure Lance was rotten I fell for Mystique's trick hook, line, and sinker. I chased him away…it's because of _me_ he was brainwashed and turned against us. So…I'm sorry." Jean swallowed hard. It was not an easy thing to say. 

Kitty felt the words strike a chord within her despite her unwillingness to trust her teammate. She swallowed hard, torn over what she should say or do, but then finally spoke. "Fair enough…but what are you doing here?"  
            

"I heard you talk with Logan about your troubles with Lance and wanted to do something about it. The Mindcoil was a telepath; it hurt him mentally. I thought I could use my powers to heal some of the damage."

"Did you?"

She shook her head. "Perhaps, a little. He resisted me. His mind is such a mess; I had to be very gentle. But I saw his memories of that night, felt what he felt. He's being tormented by strange visions and false memories. If I can block them out, push them into the recesses of his mind where he'll never find them again…"

Kitty gazed down at the floor, thoughts torn. "Will that help him?"

"I believe so, yes. I don't want to hurt him, Kitty. Please know that."

"I'll think about what you said. But Jean…please leave."

The redhead nodded once, bowing her head, and exited the room. 

Kitty let go of the angry breath she had been holding and went to Lance's side. His deep slumber had to be Jean's doing, because not even _he_ slept heavy enough to miss such a spat. He looked peaceful. She stroked his cheek, feeling terrible not because his mind had been invaded yet again, but because the girl who had held nothing but ill will for him now knew more about his pain than she did.

*** * ***

Scott was in his barracks completing a history paper when he heard a door slam shut and hurried footsteps. He stuck his head out the open entrance and called out, "Jean!"

She stopped and looked down the hall. Her face was red, teary. "Scott, I…" 

"What is it?" he asked, concerned. He met her halfway. 

Wiping away her tears, she tried to stifle herself. "It's all right…just…could we talk? For just a little while? Alone?"

He nodded slowly, wondering what could possibly disturb her since she was normally so composed. He led her into his room, quietly shutting the door behind them for privacy. "Tell me what's wrong."

She did, spilling out the tale of her contact with Lance, the terrifying images that assaulted her, and Kitty's anger. "…I don't know why it's so upsetting. I guess I've just hit my limit, with the Mindcoil, the mansion, the Professor and everything else."

Scott sighed. "You'll have to excuse me, Jean, but I can understand Kitty's reaction. You should have said something."

"I know, I know…but Scott, you should have seen it! How it tortured him and _us_, and all that rage and violence. He had a conversation with an alternate version of himself! It's a wonder he hasn't lost his mind." Her whole body started to shake, and she touched her face. "Oh Scott, I said and did so many awful things to him…I was afraid of what he could do to Kitty, and in the end, _he_ was the one who was raped."

Moved into silence, her companion was at her side. She went to him, flinging her arms around his neck.

"Jean…"

"Hold me. Please?"

Startled, Scott said nothing at first. It felt good to have Jean against him, turning to him for comfort and affection, but there was something deeply wrong about it. While at one time he would have enjoyed the embrace, now he felt uncomfortable. Frowning, he gently put his hands on her arms and pushed her away. 

"Jean, I'm sorry, but I can't…"

"Can't _what_?" She was hurt by his seeming rejection. 

"I can't do this. I can't be what you need right now."

Her sadness turned quickly to anger, and her famous temper flared. "What I 'need' is someone to lean on! There's nothing wrong with that!"

Scott ran his hands through his hair, struggling to find the right words. "You know this is more than that. I mean, what about Duncan?"

"What _about _him?" She touched his cheek, softening her voice. "This is about _us_ right now."

Scowling at her dismissal of the jock, he removed her hand. "Please, Jean. I don't want this."

"But Scott, all this time…you and I…I thought you cared about me."

"I did—I still do. Feelings change, and…" He sighed. "I'll always be your friend and be here for you. But I can't go any farther."

"It's _her_, isn't it?"

He looked away, unable to stare into her green orbs any longer. There was a long, agonizing silence before he heard the door creak open and close, and then he was alone.

*** * ***

Nightcrawler 'ported from place to place, surveying the mansion's wreckage and looking for anything salvageable. The Danger Room and two wings of the mansion were total losses, but it was fortunate that Cerebro and the X-Jet's hanger suffered minimal damage. He was glad that Blob was there and using his super strength to help the cleanup process, but they still lacked the tools, resources, and expertise to effect repairs. Calling the local Bayville construction crew was out of the question. It was another stroke of luck that the Professor had old friends in Scotland willing to help (though the elf had not once heard of Muir Island, and he thought he was pretty good at geography.)

Far away from him there was a deep shaft that led to what had been the Mindcoil's chamber. Spyke and Blob had the unenviable task of finding the psychic beast's remains for examination and disposal, and as Nightcrawler stared into the distance he saw them emerge from the tunnel. Spyke waved.

Teleporting to the site in a sulfuric _bamf_, he asked, "Find it?"

Spyke's lips were pressed together as if fighting back a meal that disagreed with him. Blob's face was pale, almost white. 

"Not the Mindcoil…but something else is down there. Get Wolverine, man."

*** * ***

Storm was with Cyclops in the X-Jet's hanger, giving the sleek SR-77 a good check-up. The boy was distant and quiet, not acting like his usual attentive self. He was still mulling over his tussle with Jean, his feelings for Rogue, and the confusion it all brought him, though Storm had no way of knowing that. Their eyes flew to the elevator as Nightcrawler, Spyke, and Blob emerged from it, Wolverine following them and dragging what looked like a stretcher behind him. A sheet covered what was on it, and both Cyclops and Storm rushed to meet them, concerned.

Storm's eyes were frozen on the lumpy mass under the sheet. "Is that…?"

Wolverine nodded. "But I think you need to take a look at it."

Cyclops wanted to ask "why?" but his voice disappeared as the older mutant pulled away the material, exposing the discovery.

It was Magneto's body, or at least it appeared to be. Being crushed under rubble had done enough damage to the remains, but it had decayed rapidly, bits of moldy flesh clinging to bones. What also made it horrific was that the blood and gore was white, not red, and looked like a thick paste. Glimmering traces of metal decorated the insides. 

"Good god…" Cyclops was very nearly ill. "What _is_ that?"

"A dummy," replied Wolverine. "A synthetic clone of Magneto with no mind of its own…just those nanites that let the _real_ Master of Magnetism control it."

"And that was down _there_?" Storm's lips curled in disgust, and she put an arm around her nephew, holding him close.

Wolverine nodded gravely. "He's still out there, pulling the strings. I'd bet my money on it."

"Vell good for him," spat Nightcrawler. "But vhat are ve supposed to do about his _son_?"

*** * ***

"Does he really need all those drugs?"

Jean Grey stopped fixing the IV drips and turned her head to look at Todd. "I'm afraid so. Pietro needs to be heavily sedated. You remember what happened when he woke up." She shook her head and went back to work, muttering, "Shot out like a spring-loaded cat."

By appearance Pietro Maximoff looked as comatose as the Professor, tucked in with the blankets covering his chest, arms tightly bound to the bed to keep him from harming himself. His silvery-blonde hair needed to be combed.

"So he's totally gone, huh?" Tabitha asked from her seat across the room, words muffled by the lollipop she was sucking on.

Jean held onto the precious remainder of her patience. "He isn't 'gone.' There's no irreparable damage to his brain; the Mindcoil just erased all his memories."

"Oh." Todd snickered, as if that made it all okay. "Just erased his memories, huh?" 

"Pietro's an amnesiac." She rubbed her forehead. "A hyperactive, super fast amnesiac…"

Before the Brotherhood boy and girl could make any cracks Storm entered Pietro's room in the infirmary, as serious and self-possessed as ever. Jean sensed something was wrong just by observing her countenance.

**Storm?**

_Bad news, I'm afraid, child. It would appear that Magneto…is alive and well_.

**It can't be!**

_Impossible as it may seem…_

"Uh, _hey_, care to let those of us _not_ on the psychic hotline know what's up?" Tabitha inquired indignantly, hands on her hips.

They did.

"So what does that mean, yo? Is he gonna come back and attack us?" Todd was a little bit fearful.

"Magneto's thoughts have always been his own. And sadly the two among us who could have possibly shared their information of him with us are in no condition to do so." Storm glanced pitifully at the bedridden Maximoff boy. 

"Well, that pretty much ruined my day," Tabitha whined.

"Neither of you have anything to fear," Storm continued. "You both are invited to stay here, as are Rogue and Blob, for as long as you wish. We have the room."

"And the '_love_?'" Todd stuck out his tongue; he obviously did not appreciate her warm offer and sentiments. "Yo, the Brotherhood still got their pride. Me an' Freddy are gonna blow this hot dog stand as soon as Pietro's better. Sniff you guys later." He hopped out of the infirmary without waiting for a reply. 

Storm shook her head in dismay, while Jean frowned. Tabitha merely shrugged. 

"You know, you X-Guys are better off without them. Spend a couple weeks locked down here with that smell and you'd be kicking 'em out, let me tell you."

*** * ***

Lance sat up in bed. He never made it a habit to listen in on other people's conversations, but when they were being blasted in another room with only a single door separating them, it was difficult to ignore. Especially when walking away wasn't an option.

Jean's voice was pained. "_Magneto is alive_."

His eyes narrowed into two dark slits.

The sound of the door opening took him unaware. Turning his head slightly he caught Kitty enter, and she offered him a small smile. Truth was she was glad to see him awake after his encounter with Jean (which was only a few hours ago, she reminded herself). Lance sat up straight as she moseyed toward the bed, eyes taking her in. All thoughts of Magneto had vanished. 

"How are you feeling?"

Lance settled back against the pillows. His answer was a slow, "Fine." He was, as much as could be expected at least. He remembered having another dream where he was back in the red room, but it hadn't been terrible at all. And Kitty was the first visitor since Logan… 

Kitty released a tiny breath, relieved. In that moment she felt so much she was moved to touch him, not caring a bit if he'd flinch or pull away. He didn't. Her fingers were soft against his two-day stubble, and he put his large hand atop hers. 

"I've been worrying about you, you jerk."

"I know."

There was something sad in his expression, and faraway; yet this was the closest they had been for some time. Their hands remained joined. 

"I'm tired, Kitty…of everything. I don't want to take the easy way out, but I don't know what to do anymore. I don't have any answers for either of us…" 

"Lance, stop…"

He broke their gaze. "But right now…I really need you. Can you do something for me?"

She nodded. 

Furrowing his brow, he felt the heat rise to his cheeks. He spit it out. "Could you, maybe…give me a bath?"

Kitty's eyes widened. 

*** * ***

He hadn't meant to hurt Jean. It had all come out without a thought to the wiser and he was sure he could have been gentler, or said something else to get his point across. She was already upset about Lance and Kitty; he definitely hadn't done anything to help her through it. Even so, it felt somewhat good to get that off his chest. Confessing to Jean had been the right thing to do. It had to be said.

His infatuation with the redhead had started the very moment she walked through the Institute doors with her parents, tears in her eyes and voices in her head she couldn't silence. Still, she was really a natural, and in what felt like no time at all she mastered her gifts. Jean was so strong, and capable. Nothing could bring her down. He marveled at her inner brilliance, her strength of character, her refusal to let being different beat her. So he followed her example, and they were friends. 

To her he was simply Scott—friendly, dependable Scott, who was a nice guy but a terrible stick in the mud. Not boyfriend material, and certainly no Duncan. Eventually, he hoped, she would come to see what he really was and turn to someone who was right for her.

She never did. 

And then Rogue came along. 

He looked at her as she sat under the gazebo, reading in the shade as a cool breeze rustled the branches overhead. Hands in his pockets, he strolled up to her. "Read any good books lately?" he asked casually.

Taken by surprise, Rogue smiled as he sat down beside her and closed her copy of _Interview With The Vampire_. "Just the usual."

"Where were you this morning?"

She turned her gaze to the cerulean sky. "Todd, Fred, Tabitha an' Ah went to check out the old boarding house an' get some o' our stuff. Nothin' major."

Scott leaned back, resting his hands on his knees. "Anyone there?"

"No. It was totally empty. No Mastermind…an' no Destiny." A sad shadow passed over her face.

"I'm sorry. I know she was your foster mother."

Rogue pulled her legs to her chest. "Ah just wish Ah knew her connection to Magneto an' Mystique, an' the part she played in all o' this. Ah want to talk to her, just one more time."

Scott offered her a warm smile. "Maybe you will."

She tried to share in his optimism. "Yeah."

The boy decided to change the topic slightly. "So, you and the Brotherhood are officially moving in then, huh?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "We don't want to impose or nothin', but we really don't have any place else to go. Ah think Freddy an' Todd are stayin' because Pietro's still sick, an' Tabitha's attached to Blue Boy…"

"And what about you?"

Rogue faced him, unsure of what she should say. So she said the first thing that popped out. "Well, there's someone here who makes me feel welcome."

"Really."

She nodded once, feeling the color rise to her pale cheeks. 

Scott seemed a little flustered as well. Was this really the cool and collected leader of the X-Men? " I know what you mean, Rogue. I talked to Jean, and…"

"_Jean_." Rogue said the name in surprise, her face falling. _Ah should have known_.

"It wasn't what you're thinking, honest." He held up his hand, the corners of his mouth turning up. "I told her exactly what I felt. I was confused for a while…but there's nothing romantic between the two of us. As a matter of fact…the person I really care for is with me right now." 

Her face immediately lit up; she could have laughed at his awkward, blushing admittance. Nervous, she inched her gloved hand toward his. "Ah do like you, Scott."

He couldn't hide his grin. "Not that I'm fishing for compliments, but why?"

Their faces moving slightly closer, Rogue stared into his ruby quartz gaze. "Ah like you because you _try_. Our powers ain't exactly gonna let us live a normal life, you know? But instead o' lettin' it get you down you keep trying to make yourself the best you can be. You never give up. Truthfully," she wistfully added, "Ah envy you. So tell me, Mr. Summers, what do you see in me?"

"I think, maybe, a kindred spirit." Touched, at that moment Scott wished he were more verbose. But little did he know those few simple words were more than enough.

Ever so slowly they shifted their positions, close but not too close, fingers intertwined.

"So what happens next?" asked the Goth, casting a glance at the mansion that seemed so far away.

"I don't know," Scott answered honestly. "But we'll have to take what comes one day at a time, I suppose." 

*** * ***

Embarrassed, Lance felt like a baby as Kitty helped him into the infirmary's tub, holding his hand so he wouldn't slip and fall. A towel secured around his waist preserved his modesty; it amused Kitty that he was suddenly so shy when he certainly didn't have anything to hide from her. 

"Don't worry, I'm not going to take advantage of you in your weakened condition," she chuckled. It felt nice to talk lightly with him. 

"Thanks," he murmured, cheeks still crimson. "I felt pretty gross, and wasn't about to ask Summers to help me out."

The tub was filled with warm water that reached his waist, just short of the bandage that covered the freshly stitched wound from a telekinetically thrown pipe. Kitty held a small sponge, and after dipping it in the water began to wash him, starting with his good shoulder and working her way down his chest. He made a small, thankful sound in the back of his throat. 

"Feels good. I needed this."

"My pleasure."

He was letting her in again, allowing her to take care of him, be intimate with him. She wouldn't call it a breakthrough, but after everything that had happened it was such a relief to spend time together and maybe pretend the mansion was still standing, or that nothing had changed between them.

"Are you all right?" 

It was a silly question and she knew it, but still she wanted some sort of confirmation that his wounds were healing.

"I'm…improving." His words were stilted, eyes shut. But then he blurted out, "Do you love me?"

Kitty, busy washing his back, lifted her head and met his gaze. His eyes were intense, maybe a little desperate.

"I mean, really…do you?"

"Of course," she said quietly. "How can you ask me that?"

He turned away, feeling more naked than ever. "I was just thinking. I wrecked everything, didn't I?"

"What?" Setting down the sponge, Kitty rested her hands on her knees. "Are you talking about the mansion—and the Mindcoil? You weren't you. You saved us all in the end. It's all over; don't hurt yourself over something you can't change. We were _all_ helpless."

"I know …but I can't stop it. It's not like the TV shows, you know? The good guy turns evil, but true love saves him and all that crap, and everything's okay in the end. They get to ride into the sunset. But--" and now he was breaking down, "everything's _not_ okay." 

A tremor running through her young body, Kitty pressed her face against his uninjured shoulder, trying to comfort him with her nearness and warmth. Her voice was sad but sharp. "What happened, Lance? What did it do to you?"

A beat. A sigh. "You remember when we met?"

She nodded.

"It showed me what would have happened if I…if I joined the Brotherhood that day. I saw—saw this other life, where I hated the X-Men, and I hated _you_, but wanted you all the same…I remember all the things it showed me, things I did…Some nights I go to bed and I'm him again, this other me, and I don't know if I'll be who I really am when I wake up. Other nights I can't tell the difference between you and Mystique and I just lash out. If I ever touched you like that again I'd want to die."

Kitty was still and silent as he rattled on, and she understood. _Something inside you is broken_, she thought, _and I'm scared I won't be able to fix it_.

"And I'm really sorry I lied to you."

"Lance?"

His gaze was fixed at the bottom of the tub and the soapsuds and water shimmering in the light from overhead. Was that actually a tear that fell into the basin, or just another drop of water from his damp hair?

"All the blame is on me. If everything went according to plan, and if Riley hadn't attacked you….I…I would have…"

"What are you talking about?" she asked softly.

"I acted like I wanted to help you, but I really wanted to help myself, Kitty. That day, when I asked you to meet by the offices, I was going to get you to break in and steal something."

Her lips parted as she released a sharp breath, and Kitty pulled back. "Excuse me?"

"You know about the shit me and Griff and Pete did. We were plannin' on breaking into the offices to steal exam answers from the computers and make a nice profit. We didn't know how we were gonna get past the alarm system until you showed up."

Kitty's mind traveled back several months to that fateful day at Northbrook High School. She touched her temple. "I don't believe it. You said you were going to _help_ me. And you wanted me to…?" Her expression suddenly darkened. "I thought you cared--you said all those things, and you just wanted to use me?"

Lance leaned forward and rested his forehead on his knees, unable to look at her. "I did care! You were the first person I met who was like me. But you're right; I was going to use you anyway."

In the back of Kitty's mind she wanted to laugh '_ha ha, nice joke'_ but she knew he was serious. She had wanted him to talk to her so badly, and _this_ was what he had to say? All that time…all that time she thought he was looking out for her, when she was just a means to an end. But he _did_ save her from Riley, unless, _ha_, he was going to confess he set all that up too.

"And…you're telling me this _now_?" She was looking away from him, her long bangs obscuring her eyes. There was something cold in her voice. 

"I didn't want to think about it. Everything happened so fast. We both ended up in the same swanky mansion with other mutants, so no harm done, right? I tried to forget about it. But I saw the alternative…and I can't do that anymore."

"You lied to me!"

"Yeah."

"You bastard!" She now stood, livid, shaking, hands clenched into fists. He had never seen her so furious or vehement. But there was also confusion in her face, and a world of hurt. She threw the sponge at him in a fit, and he made no move to dodge it. 

As she stormed out of the room he called, "Don't!" Supporting himself by keeping his hands on the sides of the tub, he stared at her back as she stopped.

Kitty spun around and demanded to know, "Why? Do you have anything else to get off your chest?"

"I--"

"Save it! What do you want, Lance? You just told me our entire relationship was built on a deception! You expect me to—to just take that, and say 'I forgive you' just so you can feel better about yourself?"

He closed his eyes and shook his head. "No."

"Fine!" She turned swiftly again, her ponytail whipping behind her. She was walking away from him.

And, for a moment, a false memory came to mind. In the school office Kitty turned away from him to run to her parents, her affectionate illusion of him destroyed. In another memory she scowled and beat his chest with her fists, condemning him, and then ran to her teammates. And now, back in reality, it felt like it was happening all over again.

"Kitty!"

She didn't want to, but stopped still anyway. The desperate cry had struck her in the chest. Narrowing her eyes, sighing, not planning on giving him the idea of just how hard his confession had hit her, she faced him. Lance was standing on weak legs, leaning against the white tiled walls to stay up. Soaking wet, he was shaking almost like a scared child. It was so unlike him—but then, everything else had been stripped away, hadn't it?

Obviously in pain, his teeth bit into his lower lip to squelch a whimper. 

"Please…don't give up on me."

Squeezing her eyes shut, Kitty lowered her head and went to the door. But as she reached for the knob she heard a loud stumble. The rock-tumbler had lost his balance and met the floor. A fist slammed against it as he hissed behind clenched teeth, trying to raise himself. His free hand touched his bandages, which were damp. The towel around his waist? Forget about it. Christ, somebody put a bullet in his head already. He could use it.

Squeezing his eyes shut he released a harsh breath and tried to sit up. The stitches in his abdomen hurt. Wet legs slipping against the tile, he made little progress. Lance was surprised to feel gentle hands on his shoulders give him support. 

Pressing her lips to his hair, Kitty murmured, "You are so lucky…so _very_ lucky…that I love you."

*** * ***

Logan had monitoring duty, and was thus inside the control room reclining in a swivel chair and nursing a beer as he studied the flickering black and white images on the many small screens. 

On the top monitor he could see Kurt rummaging for food in the fridge, and he had a surprise as Tabitha snuck up behind him and grabbed his tail. 

In another Evan, Todd, and Fred were in the common room laughing at the television, the worries of the day already forgotten. "_Ah, to be young again_," as the Professor would have remarked.

To his right Storm was showing Jean the remains of who they _thought_ was the Master of Magnetism. Noting the look on poor Red's face, Logan knew that even when the mansion was rebuilt their trials wouldn't be over. 

The camera in one of the statuaries outside captured an image of Rogue and Scott sitting beside each other under a gazebo, talking and smiling. Were they making eyes at each other? Nah, couldn't be. 

Last but not least he saw the infirmary cam's point of view, and caught a glance at Kitty helping Lance. Only wearing a terrycloth robe, the boy made it to his bed with some effort. While Kitty fussed over him to make sure he hadn't reopened his wounds, he leaned forward and kissed her quite unexpectedly. Well, it looked like those two made amends. Good for them. Arching his eyebrows as their urgent kisses continued, Logan turned off the camera and took a swig of his drink.

"_Kids_," he muttered.

*** * ***

"I was scared you hated me."

"I…can deal with it." Kitty stretched beside him on the bed, and smoothed a wrinkle on her cranberry blouse. She was curled up in the crook of his good arm, the gray blankets twisted around their ankles. "You asked me there for the wrong reason, but I know better than to think everything that happened afterwards was an act too. Can't say I'm _glad_ you told me," she gave him a small glare, "but it was probably for the best. I know who you are _now_. And what can I say? I've gotten attached to you." 

He would have laughed in relief at her light comment, if he weren't so worried about upsetting his stitches again. Would he be incredibly lame if he said his thoughts aloud? 

"I don't think I deserve this."

"Who says you can't be happy? After what _we've_ gone through…" She shook her head, letting her sentence remain unfinished. "It would be nice if everything was okay. Maybe then," she paused to give him a wistful smile, "we really could ride into the sunset."

There was a glimmer in Lance's eye. "Let's do it."

"What?"

"Let's go. Get out of here. Find our own little corner to hide in."

She sat up and brushed one of her bangs behind her ear. His words had almost lifted her spirits. "Thanks for saying that, but come on, Lance. We can't go. They need us here."

"No, they don't. There isn't going to be a shortage of X-Men with Rogue and Boom-Boom crashing here. Hell, maybe even Blob and Stink-Boy will stay. Those Muir Island people are coming to fix things…what's left for us to do?"

"You're in no condition to make a break for it." Her voice was adamant, but the corners of her lips showed she was warming up to his ideas.

"I'll get better."

"You're serious, aren't you?"

"Deadly."

She made eye contact with him then, and saw for herself that he was not joking, teasing, or ruminating on what might be. Lance Alvers wanted to run away.

"I need to work things out, Kitty. Get through all this junk floating in my head. The Mindcoil made me doubt myself, and I'm not sure about my place. It sure as hell ain't with the Brotherhood…but now…I don't know if it's with the X-Men, either." He sat up straight and reached for her hands. "I know I want you to be with me."

"Lance…" She shook her head, breaking their eye contact. Of course she was reluctant, he realized. She never doubted her place among her friends. Kitty was Shadowcat, an X-Man through and through, and never felt like the outsider he had been. It wasn't exactly fair, was it, to ask her to leave it all for his sake.

She surprised him.

"I'll go with you. Someone has to keep you in check, right?" Her mischievous smile was dazzling. He could have kissed her.

He placed his hands on her cheeks, his bandaged arm shaking just a little, bringing their faces together. Her eyes…they could always pierce into him, striking him to the core of his being. They were such a deep and abiding blue. 

Kitty, for her part, felt like she had just agreed to elope. It was the same giddy rush she felt whenever reading a cheesy romance. This was really happening. "You're sure this is a good idea," she asked with a teasing grin, batting her eyelashes, "running away and rocking the world?"

He nodded resolutely. "The way I see it, fate dealt us winning cards--_if _we play them together."

The pair shared a long kiss. For the first time in a long while Lance felt like _Lance_—it was not Mastermind, the Mindcoil, Jean or even the part of him that was Avalanche who influenced his thoughts. It didn't matter where or when they were going to go, only that they put the future into their own hands. _Right on. This time we're on top_. As their lips parted, he whispered into her ear.

"We're in control now. We make our own way."

* * * * * 

The End.

* * * * * 

**Author's Notes:** …And so things come full circle. 16 chapters, 255 pages, and 14 months later, it's over. _Rock Your World_ is my baby, and I had a hell of a time writing it. These characters are definitely a part of me now, and writing about them has gone so far as to influence my perception of the wacky crew. For instance, I like Scott more, Kurt a lot less, and have a newfound appreciation for precogs. My deep fondness for Lance and Kitty remains unchanged, of course. 

Tremendous thanks goes to my readers and reviewers, especially those of you who have been reading this from the beginning, or been influenced by it in some way or another (you know who you are!). A particular mention has to go to Neva, author of the original "Lance Alvers, X-Man" story. Blame her. It's not hyperbole that the great comments I received from you all kept me writing when I had the strong urge to empty it all in the trash bin. 

Hope to see you again soon. Keep on rockin'. ~Sandoz


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